Upside Down
by purplepagoda
Summary: Jane Rizzoli's world is about to change. At first it seems like any other crime scene. When she finds a little girl, hiding in a closet will she get attached? A little girl with a dead mother, and no father. Everything is about to change.
1. Homicide?

She climbs into her bed, after a long day, and a quick shower. She pushes her unruly hair out of her way, and meets up with her pillow. She pulls the covers over herself, and closes her eyes. Before she can even get situated, her phone begins to ring. She rolls over, and reaches for the phone, that rests on her bedside stand.

"Rizzoli," she answers, in irritation.

"See you in fifteen, I'll text you the address," her partner tells her.

"I just got into bed," she admits.

"I hadn't even made it there, yet," he reveals.

"Ok, Frost, I'll see you in a few," she agrees.

She gets out of the bed, and stumbles into the closet. She pulls on the first clean outfit that she can find. She slides on a pair of shoes, and grabs her badge, keys, and gun, and heads out of the apartment. She finds herself parked in front of a nice brownstone, less than half an hour later. She walks across the street, towards the crime scene tape. Her partner meets her in front of the steps.

He looks at her, nervously. He hands her a pair of booties, and shakes his head.

"Put these on," he warns.

"How bad?"

"The victim is Hannah Gabriel, forty seven. Neighbor found her."

"Oh?"

"I doubt that Maura will be able to determine cause of death, here," he adds.

"Why not?"

"She's not a miracle worker," he replies, as they begin their ascent of the stairs.

"Meaning?"

"The victim, and the house are both covered in blood."

She follows him into the house. Korsak waits on them. He stands over the body. A woman, wearing a pencil skirt, and a button up blouse lies on the floor, covered in blood. She lies face down, on the dark hardwood floor. Jane squats, to get a better look. She hears heels clicking on the floor. She looks up, and finds Maura coming towards them. Maura pulls on gloves, squats, to examine the body.

Jane rises, and looks around the room. Things are strewn across the room. Furniture is overturned. Family pictures, on the wall are covered in blood. Jane studies the family picture, on the wall. The victim, her husband, and a littler girl. It is hard to make out the faces, through all the blood. Frost moves towards Jane.

"The neighbor said she thought that the daughter was supposed to be at home, with her mother. The victim's husband, James Gabriel, is supposed to be out of town."

"So, we've got a missing kid?" Jane questions.

He shrugs, "Maybe."

"Ok," she walks out of the living room, towards the stairs. She heads up the stairs, with a flashlight. She does a quick sweep of the master suite. She moves past a bathroom, and a spare bedroom. At the end of the hall, on the left she stops. She finds a closed wooden door, with a decal on it. It reads:_ Abbie's Room._ She turns the knob, and pushes the door open. She flips on the light, to the right of the door. The light reveals a desk, a dresser, and a throw rug. There are toys scattered all over the floor. The pink bedspread rests over a chair, and the foot of the bed, serving as a fort. Jane squats, she lifts up the pink bedspread, and looks underneath. She finds dolls stuffed underneath. She pushes some of them out of the way, only to reveal more dolls. Satisfied, she gets off the floor.

She moves towards the closet. She opens the door. She finds a closet full of clothes. There are clothes on the back of the door. Clothes on the shelves. Clothes on the rack. There are even clothes on the floor. And shoes, congregated in a back corner. Jane notices a pair of purple converse, that seem out of place. She squats, and reaches for the shoes. They don't move, as she gently tugs.

She feels her stomach do a back flip. Her heart begins to pound. Her heart sinks into her stomach. She feels horror, for what she thinks that she is about to encounter. She swallows hard, expecting to find a dead child. Before she reaches for the pile of clothes, to get a better look, a voice startles her.

"Who are you?" A voice questions, towards the back of the closet.

Jane furrows her brow. She pushes aside some of the clothes, that are hanging, over head. Jane smiles, and sighs, in relief.

"I'm detective Jane Rizzoli, what about you? What's your name, sweetie?"

"I'm Abbie," she reveals.

"Abbie why don't you come out of there, for me?"

"Ok," the girl nods, reluctantly.

Jane steps out of the closet, allowing the girl room to maneuver. She dumps the clothes off of herself, and pushes herself off the ground. She stands up, and comes out of the closet. Jane just stares at her, as she moves towards her.

"Abbie, can you tell me why you were hiding in the closet?"

"I was up here, playing in my fort."

"That's a very nice fort," Jane comments, "did you make it yourself?"

"Yes," she answers.

"What happened, when you were playing in your fort?"

"I heard shouting, and then I heard things breaking. I got scared, so I hid in the closet."

"Abbie, how old are you?"

"Six," she smiles, widely, revealing a missing front tooth.

"Abbie I'm going to have you come with me, ok?"

"Where are we going? What happened? Is mommy ok?"

"Abbie do you have any family that lives nearby?"

"My brothers. Josh, and Andy."

"How old are your brothers?"

"Andy is twenty, and Josh is twenty four."

"Do you know their numbers?"

"Yes," she points to her desk, "I have them, right here."

Jane looks at the desk. There are papers, and pencils, and a random assortment of items all over the desk, kind of like her own. Abbie reaches the desk. She moves one pile, and pulls out the paper that she is looking for. She hands it to Jane.

"Here you go."

"Abbie why don't you pack some clothes? I am going to make some phone calls, ok?"

"Please stay here, with me," Abbie begs.

"Ok," Jane nods in agreement.

Abbie tosses some clothes into a backpack. Jane grabs a blanket, off the bed, as Abbie zips up her bag.

"Abbie can you listen very closely?"

"Yes," Abbie nods, in agreement.

"I am going to take you downstairs. I am going to carry you, because I don't want you to step in any broken glass. It's kind of chilly outside, so I'm going to wrap this blanket around you."

"I have a jacket."

Jane watches, as Abbie climbs under the desk. She furbishes a jacket. She slides it on. Jane smiles at her. She pulls the hood, over the little girl's head.

"I want you to keep you eyes closed when we go downstairs, ok?"

"Why?"

"I think that it would be better if you didn't see what's down there."

"Where are you taking me?"

"I am going to take you out to my car, while we wait on some people. Ok?"

"Ok," Abbie nods.

Jane lifts Abbie onto her hip. She slings Abbie's backpack over her shoulder. She secures Abbie's hood. She leaves the room, flipping off the light. She walks down the hall, stopping at the top of the stairs, for a brief moment. She descends the stairs. Her co-workers stare at her, as she rushes through the living room, out the door, and down the stairs. Frost follows her out. She stops at a police cruiser, and sets Abbie on the hood. Abbie peels off her hood.


	2. Similarities

Frost stares at the little girl, in disbelief. He looks at his partner, and then at the little girl. His glance returns to Jane. His eyes remain fixed on her, as they stand on the sidewalk, in silence.

"Something wrong, Frost?"

"No," he shakes his head, trying to ignore the obvious.

"This is Abbie," Jane reveals.

"Hi, Abbie, I'm detective Frost," he smiles.

"I found Abbie hiding in her closet."

"I'll call CPS."

Jane pulls out a piece of paper, "Contact them too. These are her brothers. Have you been able to get in touch with her dad?"

"No. We haven't been able to reach him, yet," Frost reveals.

"Ok."

Frost makes his way down the sidewalk, to make some phone calls. Jane sits outside, with Abbie, waiting on CPS to arrive. Jane smiles at the little girl, who is clearly shaken up. She opens driver's side door. She lifts Abbie off the hood, and places her inside. She bends down to Abbie's level. She tucks a stray strands of hair behind Abbie's ear.

"Abbie, do you remember how you asked if something bad happened to your mommy?"

"Yes," she nods.

"Well something did happen."

"It was the man, who was here?"

"The man? What can you tell me about the man?"

"I didn't see him. I just heard his voice. He knocked on the door, and then I heard all the screaming, and shouting, and things breaking."

"Did the voice sound familiar?"

"I don't know. I covered my ears," Abbie admits.

"You must have been scared," Jane remarks.

"Maybe a little," Abbie replies, stoically.

Jane sits with Abbie for nearly an hour, as Frost, and Korsak investigate the scene. Maura leaves with the body. Jane successfully distracts Abbie, with the siren, as Maura hauls the girl's mother's, body, out in a bag, on a stretcher, into the transport vehicle.

CPS comes, and takes Abbie. Frost, and Rizzoli return to headquarters. Hours later Jane heads down to see Maura, after a text message from her. When she arrives she finds that Frost is already there. She quietly approaches. She stops, and listens from the doorway. Frost talks to Maura, he stands with his back to the door. Maura faces the door, and notices when Jane appears.

"I mean I couldn't even believe what I was seeing. I couldn't even articulate any intelligent thoughts. She just looked at me, like I was a complete idiot," he rambles.

Maura clears her throat, and motions towards the door. Frost turns around, he finds Jane standing behind him, in the doorway. She stares at him, in contempt, with her arms folded across her chest.

"Something you want to communicate with me?" she raises an eyebrow.

"No," he shakes his head, as his cheeks turn red. He turns, and leaves the room, rushing past Jane, in the process.

Jane moves towards the body. She looks at Maura. She studies Maura's expression, attempting to figure out what's going on.

"What's going on? Why is Frost acting so weird?"

"I have found cause of death," Maura declares, avoiding the question.

"Maura, can you pause for a second, and answer my question?"

Maura nods. She slips of her gloves, and tosses them into the trash. She pulls out her phone, and holds it up to Jane. Jane studies the picture.

"Why do you have that on your phone?"

"Frost sent it to me."

"Why?"

"I had already left."

"I don't understand. Why would he send you a picture of the little girl, at the crime scene?"

"He thought that he was losing it."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't see it?"

"See what?" Jane inquires.

"She looks just like you."

"Just like me? No, she doesn't."

"Jane she's a six year old version of you."

"No," Jane shakes her head.

Maura studies the picture, on her phone, "She looks a lot like you."

"It's a bad picture."

"Look at it," Maura points.

Jane studies a picture, of the six year old. Dark, unruly curls. Pronounced cheekbones, big dark brown eyes, long eyelashes, dimples. A strong jaw line, and a thin upper lip. Jane blinks. She shakes her head.

"What is your point?" she taps her foot.

"She could be your daughter."

"Maura, be serious. I don't have a daughter, you know that."

"But if you did, that is what she would look like."

"But, I don't have one, ok? That isn't something that I would keep a secret. There is nothing here to investigate."

"I wonder if she's adopted," Maura comments, without thinking.

"Really?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that she looks nothing like the parents."

"That happens sometimes."

"No, she doesn't have any of their features. That is not possible."

"What are you suggesting? You think I have some deep dark secret? You think that..."

"No. I do not think that. I am not suggesting that. I am just curious, ok?"

"What did you call me down here, for?"

"Now, you're the one changing the subject."

"Maura, you said that you have the cause of death."

"I do," Maura reveals.

"What is it?"

"Exsanguination."

"She bled out? Do you have any idea what weapon caused these wounds? Was it a knife?"

"No," Maura shakes her head.

"A scalpel?"

"No."

"Do you have any idea what it was?"

"I have to do a comparison. I need something to compare it to, first, of course."

"Of course," Jane huffs in frustration.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No, why do you think that?"

"You're being awfully snippy," Maura points out.

"I'm just tired," Jane lies.

Three hours later Jane is face down, at her desk. Her head rests on her keyboard. She drools, and snores, as Korsak walks into the bullpen, with coffee, and doughnuts.

"Frost, you're not supposed to let her fall asleep at her desk. You're her partner, it's your job."

"We're taking turns. Neither of us got any sleep, last night."

"As long as she's out..." Korsak begins.

"You want to talk about her mini doppelganger?" Frost guesses.

"That was eerie, huh?"

"I'll say," Frost agrees.

"I mean she's the spitting image. It's as if someone took Jane, and cloned her."

"I know. You think..." Frost begins.

"Nah," Korsak shakes his head.

"But what if..."

"Would the two of you stop talking about me? I can hear you. I'm half asleep, not dead," Jane interjects, remaining with her face down, on the desk. She doesn't open her eyes. She lifts her head off the desk, momentarily, to wipe the drool off her face. She uses the sleeve of her shirt to wipe the drool off her desk. She places her arm on her desk. She places her head on her arm. The two men around her, sit in silence, as they stare at her.


	3. Motives

Jane is sitting at her desk, when a woman walks into the bullpen. Frost stands up, to greet the woman. She's an attractive blonde, with legs up to her neck. She's in her early forties. She smiles at Frost, as he approaches her.

"Miss Carter, what brings you down here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"You could have called. You didn't have to come all the way down here."

"I thought that it would be better in person," she admits.

"Why don't you follow me to an interview room?"

"Ok," she agrees.

"Do you mind if my partner comes along?" he inquires, motioning towards Jane.

The woman's glance falls on Jane. She stares at Jane's face, for what seems like an eternity. She looks at Frost, as if she's seen a ghost.

"Miss Carter, is it ok if my partner joins us?" he repeats.

"Yes," she nods.

Jane follows them into the interview room. She closes the door behind them. She takes a seat next to her partner, on the opposite side of the table, from Miss Carter.

"Miss Carter, what brought you down here?"

"I should have put all of the pieces together, when I found Hannah, but I wasn't thinking. Everything happened so fast. It was so much chaos, and... I wasn't thinking clearly."

"That's ok. What pieces?" Frost questions.

Miss Carter stares at Jane, "Hannah, and James had been arguing a lot, lately."

"About what?" Jane pipes in.

"Everything. They had different opinions, on everything," she reveals.

"Meaning what, exactly?" Frost inquires.

"They argued about finances. They argued about how much Hannah worked. They were in the process of setting up a living will. They couldn't agree to the terms of that."

"What specifically?" Jane asks.

"Who to leave the kids to."

"The kids?" Jane furrows her brow.

"James wanted his oldest son to take them. Hannah didn't."

"The two boys do not belong to Hannah?" Jane realizes.

"No. They are Jim's kids from his first marriage."

"And Abbie?" Frost wonders.

"Jim, and Hannah went through a lot, to get her. They have been married for twelve years now. They tried on their own for two years. They didn't have any success. Then they tried for another three years, with fertility treatments. They had a total of five miscarriages. Finally they decided to try one more time. So, after a total of about four years of fertility treatments, they got Abbie. They pretty much tried everything. She is a miracle," Miss Carter comments.

"How did they end up conceiving?" Frost probes.

"They ended up using a donor egg. Jim was hesitant, but Hannah was so desperate, at that point, that he would have agreed to anything."

"But you said kids," Jane reminds her.

"Abbie, and August," she replies.

"They have another child?"

"Not yet."

"What do you mean, not yet?" Frost inquires.

"He is due in about six weeks. About a year ago Jim, and Hannah decided that they wanted another baby. Mostly Hannah. Anyway, they decided to use the same donor this time. They both felt that it would be better, if they used a surrogate this time, because of Hannah's age. They were more comfortable with it."

"You think that all of this somehow plays into Hannah's death?" Jane surmises.

"I think that Jim killed her," she admits.

"Why?" Frost poses the question.

"It turns out that Jim is not Abbie's biological father," she reveals.

"They used fertility treatments," Jane comments, trying to understand.

"I do not entirely understand, but from what I can gather, this is what happened. They used a process in which the egg is not fertilized outside of the body. They introduce sperm into the female reproductive tract, and hope that it works. Apparently they used Jim's sperm."

"Then how is she not his daughter?" Jane furrows her brow.

"He was out of town, when the procedure was done. Apparently Hannah was unfaithful to him, within a day, or two of the procedure."

"So what you're saying, is that the man that Hannah was having an affair with, is Abbie's father?"

"Yes. This just came out, a couple of weeks ago."

"How?"

"I don't know."

After leaving the room Jane heads straight down to the morgue. She finds Maura studying something under the microscope. Jane sits a box down, on the stainless steel table.

"Maura I need you to do something for me."

"Sure," Maura looks up from her microscope.

Jane holds out an evidence bag, with a pink hairbrush inside of it. She hands it to Maura. She then pulls out another bag, and hands it to Maura. The second bag contains a green toothbrush.

"What do you want me to do with these?"

"This toothbrush belongs to James Gabriel. I need you to compare it to the hairbrush."

"From?"

"Abigail Gabriel."

"Why?"

"According to the nosey neighbor, James is not her biological father."

"How was she conceived?"

"Through fertility treatments, but according to the neighbor his sperm was used. Is it possible for them to use his sperm, and him not to be her father?"

"If..."

"The neighbor says that she had an affair within a day, or two of the procedure."

"Then yes, it is possible."

Jane groans.

"What?" Maura looks at her.

"I've got to talk to the husband. This is a mess."

"Is he a suspect?"

"They always are."

"Any particular reason, he is?"

"He was supposedly out of town. He has motive, if what the neighbor says is true. He and his wife were fighting over money, over who to leave the kids to, in their will."

"Kids?"

"That is the icing on the cake," Jane answers.

"What do you mean?"

"There is a baby, out there, in someone else's uterus that is supposed to belong to the Gabriel's."

"A surrogate?" Maura queries.

"Yes," Jane confirms, "I am going to try to go track her down, now."


	4. Questions

Jane enters the interview room. She takes a seat next to her partner. She stares at the face of James Gabriel. He's tall, and well muscled. He has blue eyes, and grey hair. His skin in pale, and tired looking. Jane makes mental notes, as her partner kicks off the interrogation.

"Mister Gabriel, where were you last night?"

"I was in my hotel room."

"Can anyone attest to that?" Frost grills him.

"No. I was in my room, alone."

"Did you order any room service, or pay-per-view?" Frost inquires.

"No. I did not."

"Mister Gabriel, I have to be perfectly honest here, you make a great suspect. You don't really have an alibi. You have motive..." Jane begins.

"What motive?" he raises an eyebrow.

"Is it true, that Abbie is not your biological daughter?"

He grits his teeth, and cracks his knuckles, "Yes. The DNA test was just confirmed, last week."

"I see."

"My wife had an affair, nearly seven years ago. That is not a motive to kill her."

"Really? You just found out that your little girl, your little princess, who you fell in love with, the moment that you laid eyes on her, does not belong to you. You have been under a lot of stress. Lots of hours at work, to pay for fertility treatments, and for the surrogate, not to mention the stress of preparing for a new baby. Arguing about everything, including your will. I can see how you might have snapped," Jane paints the picture.

"All of that is true. I was angry. I was pissed, but I didn't kill my wife. I love my daughter. It doesn't matter to me, that she isn't my biological child."

"Did it make you wonder?" Frost probes.

"Wonder what?" he questions.

"If the new baby belonged to someone else, too?"

"No. I never once considered that. Before we had Abbie, my wife and I were going through a very rough patch. It was hard on both of us. Both of us did things that we are not proud of."

"Do you know who Abbie's father is?" Jane inquires.

James clenches his jaw. He looks at her, with disgust. He nods, "He was Hannah's personal trainer. Ryan Branson."

"Do you know how we could get a hold of him?" Jane quizzes.

"Hold a séance," he replies.

"He's dead?" Jane guesses.

"That's what brought all of this on. We went to his funeral. I always attributed Abbie not looking like me, to the fact that we used a donor egg. But, when I saw him, I knew. She's got his ears, his nose. It was like a slap in the face."

"That must have pissed you off," Jane goads.

"I didn't kill my wife," he maintains his innocence. He stops wringing his hands, and looks at Jane. His expression changes. He shakes his head.

Frost notices the change, "Something wrong?"

"My daughter looks just like you. She has more in common, with a total stranger, than she does with me."

"Did you use the same donor for the new baby?" Jane queries.

"We did. We haven't even started his nursery yet. Hannah was supposed to have the painters in next week. Now what am I supposed to do? I work seventy hours a week. I am fifty years old, I am a widower, and in six weeks I am supposed to welcome my son into the world. How am I supposed do this?" he begins to break down.

Jane finds herself in the basement, with Maura, in her office. She paces the floor. She twirls her hair. She taps her foot on the floor, as she paces.

"Jane, you being a basket case is not going to make the DNA results come in any quicker."

"I know."

"Did you find the surrogate?"

"She lives in Ohio. She's been at home for two weeks, on bed rest. I talked to her on the phone. She can't fly. She's not a suspect."

"Jane?"

"Hm?"

"What's really bothering you?"

"Nothing," she lies.

Maura looks up from her computer, at the anxious cop, standing in front of her, wearing a hole in her rug. She gets out of her chair, and moves towards Jane. She points to the couch.

"Sit," she insists.

Jane takes a seat on the couch, next to her. Her leg jiggles, as she sits. She chews on a cuticle.

"Jane, talk to me."

"About what?"

"Ever since you found that little girl, in the closet you have been on edge. What's going on? What is bothering you, about this case?"

"Everything."

"Specifically?"

"All of it. The dysfunctional family dynamic. The fact that we have no real suspects. The fact that I haven't figured out who did this yet. The fact that a little girl has no mother, or father. Then there is the fact that there is an unborn child out there, who is never going to meet his mother, or whatever she is..." she rambles.

The computer dings. Maura rises to her feet. She moves over to her desk. She studies the computer screen. She looks up at Jane.

"So?"

"She's not his daughter."

"Obviously."

"She is not the biological daughter of the victim, either."

"Which confirms what I already knew."

"Which is what?"

"They used a donor egg."

"It doesn't prove that the victim had an affair."

"How do you figure?"

"There could have been a mix up, or a number of other explanations."

"No, that child was conceived in a semi-old-fashioned way."

"Jane what is it that you're not telling me?"

"Why do you think that there is something that I'm not telling you?"

"You're doing all of the things you do, when you're anxious."

"I am just anxious about finding this killer."

"That's not it. It's something else."

"We can talk about this later, right now I have murderer to find."

"You have two minutes, sit down, and tell me what's going on," Maura demands.

Jane sinks into one of the chairs in front of Maura's desk. She looks Maura in the eye. Maura waits, patiently. Jane exhales.

"Ok, I'll tell you."


	5. Pictures

Maura sits on the edge of her seat, waiting for Jane to reveal what's bothering her. The way Jane begins throws Maura through a loop.

"My parents didn't really have the money to send me to college."

"How is this relevant?" Maura quizzes.

"Just listen," Jane insists.

Maura nods, in agreement.

"I didn't want to take out a loan, for school."

"No one does."

"Stop interrupting, and just listen. Otherwise, I may lose my nerve to tell you."

"Ok, I'm sorry. Please continue."

"I had a couple of scholarships, but they barely covered my books. So, I got a job. But, working part time, at minimum wage, does not pay for much of anything."

"Ok?"

"I..." she trails off, "I eventually figured out a way to pay for school, all of my school."

"What?"

"I don't think that I should tell you. I shouldn't have ever brought this up."

"Jane, I know what you did."

"No, Maura, you have no idea."

"Yes, I do," Maura argues.

"You have no clue," Jane counters.

"You donated eggs?"

All color drains from Jane's face. She breaks eye contact. She breathes in, and out, slowly. Finally she able to speak, again.

"It was like sixteen years ago."

"I know how old you are," Maura points out.

"Am I crazy?" Jane inquires.

"Crazy? What are you talking about?"

"I don't want to see it."

"That Abbie looks just like you?"

"I mean is that even possible, or realistic? She's six."

"I..."

Jane cuts her off, "They promised me that if they used my eggs they would notify me. They never notified me."

"It's ok."

"No, it's not ok. I didn't think about the consequences then."

"And now?"

"I'm driving myself crazy, because I'm wondering the same thing, that everyone else is wondering."

"If Abbie is your daughter?"

"Maura I know that you like to follow policy, and procedure on everything, but I have to know. If she's mine, then that means that..."

"The baby on the way is yours too?"

"This is a mess. Maura please..." Jane begins.

Maura cuts her off, "I hope that you're not mad, but I already ran it. I know that I shouldn't have, but I had to know. The curiosity was killing me. I just wanted to prove that I was wrong, that I was seeing things, that weren't really there."

"And?"

Maura turns the screen around, to face Jane. Jane takes a look at the screen, and then at Maura.

"You've got to be kidding me. Where did you get that?"

"Your mother gave it to me."

"Why?"

"I mentioned to her that I hadn't seen very many pictures of you, when you were a kid. That was all I needed to say. She dropped off a box full of picture albums this morning. This picture is taken..."

"I know when it was taken. I was six, it was Halloween. Why is that picture on your computer?"

"I wanted to do a photographic analysis."

"Why?"

"For my own curiosity. I compared your picture to..."

Jane cuts her off, "It's obvious. That is why the other picture is up. Where did you get that picture of her?"

"Frost sent me a picture of her, remember?"

"Yeah. So, what did you find out?"

"The image quality on Frost's phone is less than desired. The image is grainy, and..."

"And get on with it," Jane taps her foot.

"There are a lot of similarities."

"Take that down, I don't want to hear this."

"If you want I can..."

Jane's hand flies up, signaling for Maura to stop, "Don't. Don't finish that thought. Don't do anything. Just, please, let it go."

"Let it go? Don't you want to know?"

"It is better if I don't."

"Really? I don't see how."

"Maura, I can't worry about this, right now. I have a job to do."

"Right," she nods.

"Do you have any information, pertaining to the case, that may help me track down a suspect, other than the husband? Hairs, fibers, blood, anything, on the body?"

"No. Nothing."

"Something isn't right."

"What do you mean?"

"There are no hairs, fibers, footprints, fingerprints, there is no evidence to tie the killer to the crime scene."

"There are none?"

"All of them can be explained. The husband, the wife, the daughter, the two sons, the neighbor."

"Why did the neighbor go over there, in the first place?" Maura inquires.

"You know, I don't think that she ever said," Jane heads for the door.

A few seconds later she is in the squad room, waiting for Frost to get off of the phone. She drums impatiently, on his desk, as she waits. Finally he hangs up, and looks at her. She opens her mouth to speak. He beats her to the punch.

"Abbie is asking for you," Frost reveals.

"Why?"

"She said that she remember something. You are the only one who she is willing to talk to."

Jane pulls up to the house. She, and Frost get out of the car. They make their way up the steps. They find the door of the house ajar. Jane shoots Frost a look, and they draw their weapons. They enter the house, and find two bodies on the floor. They carefully clear the scene, room by room. Jane stops, in the guest bedroom, where Abbie's backpack is lying on the ground. She holsters her weapon. She pulls the closet door open.

"Abbie? Sweetie, are you in there?"

"Jane."

"You can come out now, it's ok."

Abbie comes out of the closet. She launches herself at Jane. She wraps her arms around Jane, as tight as she can.

"They're dead, aren't they?"

"Abbie I need you to come with me."

"Are you going to stay with me?"

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"I'm scared," she admits.

"I know," Jane bends down, and picks her up, off the ground. She lifts her onto her hip, and carries her out of the house, via the back door, to avoid the crime scene. Frost follows her outside.

"I'll call CSU. Take the car, and take her back to the precinct," he tells her.

"I need you to track down..."

"I'm on it."

"And I'm going to..."

"Question the neighbor, again," he finishes.

She nods. She waits for CSU to arrive, before she loads Abbie into the car, to leave.


	6. Twists

Jane enters the room. She takes a seat, across the table, from the suspect. The neighbor watches her, closely.

"Brenda, is there a reason you failed to mention your affair, with mister Gabriel?"

"We weren't having an affair."

"Really? The rest of the neighborhood says differently."

"Ok, we were, but I don't see why it makes a difference."

"It's motive."

"Motive, for what?"

"To kill his wife."

"I did not kill Hannah."

"Then why did you go over to their house?"

"Am I a suspect?"

"You are now."

"I did not kill Hannah. I would never hurt her."

"Really? You had motive, means, opportunity."

"What motive did I have?"

"You wanted her husband. You wanted her out of the way."

"If that were true..."

Jane cuts her off, with an answer, before she even finishes the question, "You would never hurt Abbie. You're delusional. You thought that with Hannah out of the way, Jim would want to be with you. You thought that you could have a happy little family, with him."

"Why would I think that?"

"You can't have children, can you?"

"I do not see why any of this is any of your business."

"I want answers. Did you kill Hannah Gabriel?"

"No. I didn't."

"Really? Because I think that you did. You killed her, and when you realized that Jim's sons were going to stand in the way of your picture perfect family, you killed them, too."

"I didn't."

"Really? You don't look surprised that they're dead."

"They were both junkies."

"Junkies? Really? Why would Jim ever allow his daughter to go stay with his sons, if they were junkies?"

"She's not his daughter."

"Not biologically."

"He doesn't want her. He never wanted her. Hannah pressured him into having a baby."

"He could have said no."

"Nobody ever said no, to her."

"He's so spineless, that he allowed her to conceive two children, that he didn't want?"

"Why would he want a child, who isn't his? Did he even once ask you about where is daughter was, or if she was ok? He, and Hannah had her, for the attention. She is nothing more than an accessory to them."

"That pisses you off, doesn't it? They have a beautiful little girl, that they don't even want. You would kill for a child, and you can't have one."

"Yes, it does."

"So you murdered Hannah, and you murdered those boys."

"Do you really think that I could overpower two grown men?"

"You said they were junkies. You could just wait until..."

"I didn't hurt anyone."

"I don't believe you."

"I want a lawyer."

Jane pounds the table with both fists. She turns, and walks out of the room. When she exits the interrogation room, she finds Frost waiting on her.

"Where's Abbie?"

"She's asleep, at your desk."

Jane looks at her watch, "Asleep? At four o'clock in the afternoon?"

"I think that she's too afraid to sleep."

"Have you heard from her social worker?"

"She's her way. We found Jim, he's at a business meeting, out of town, but he'll be here in a couple of hours."

"Doesn't that strike you as odd? His wife was just murdered? His daughter is scared too death, and he goes back to his business meeting out of town."

"Some people deal with stress by throwing themselves into their work."

"But he shows no concern for his daughter."

"I know."

Jane makes her way back to her desk. She finds a six year old, asleep on her desk. She gently touches her arm.

"Abbie?"

Abbie leans back in the chair, and opens her eyes. She looks at Jane.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't I take you down to Dr. Isles office? She has a couch in there. You can sleep in there, until your social worker gets here."

"Are you going to stay in there, with me?"

"Of course," Jane promises.

"Jane?"

"Yes, Abbie?"

"Where is my daddy?"

"He's on his way, sweetie."

"I want to go home," Abbie reveals.

"I know."

"When do I get to go home?"

"I don't know," Jane admits.

Jane looks over at her partner. She doesn't say anything. He quickly notices her staring at him. He gets up, from his chair, and joins them. He smiles at Abbie.

"Hey Abbie, why don't we go grab a snack?"

"Ok," she agrees.

He takes her hand, and leads her out of the squad room. Jane leaves the squad room, and jumps on the first elevator. She hops off the elevator, and heads into Maura's office. She stomps in, without knocking. Maura looks up from her computer, and finds Jane standing in front of her desk.

"Do you need something?" Maura inquires.

Jane nods.

"I can't read your mind," Maura reminds her.

"I want..." Jane trails off.

"Use your words," Maura suggests.

"I want a DNA test."

"Ok, done."

"Done as in you'll take care of it?"

"No, done as in I already did one."


	7. Truth

"You're kidding me, right?"

"You look upset," Maura realizes.

"I am."

"Why?"

"I told you not to run a DNA test."

"Now you're telling me to run it. I have already run it, in anticipation of you changing your mind. Now, instead of sulking around here, impatiently, you can have the results instantaneously."

"I told you not to run the test. I specifically told you."

"You're mad at me?"

"I am incredibly irritated, Maura. Why don't you ever listen to me?"

"Am I the one that you're really made at, here?"

"Yes."

"You're really mad at me? Not the situation? Not the fact that you have yet to solve this case?"

"Shut up, Maura!"

"Do you want the results, or not?"

"Yes."

"Can I ask what made you change your mind?"

"Yes, you can ask."

"Are you going to answer me?"

Jane shrugs, "I don't know, maybe."

"What made you change your mind?"

"I just need to know."

"Why?"

"Wouldn't you want to know, too?"

"Yes, I am just curious as to why you changed your mind."

"I just keep thinking about what the neighbor said."

"What did she say?"

"That Jim Gabriel, didn't want her. What if she's right? What if he doesn't want her? I mean he's not exactly going to win any parent of the year award. She would be all alone, and..."

"And?"

"And..." Jane trails off.

"The thought of that kills you?"

"Yes," Jane nods.

"I understand."

"So can I have the results now?"

"Yes," Maura reaches for a manila folder. She hands it to Jane. Jane stares at the outside of the folder. She looks up at Maura.

"I don't know what it says. I didn't read it. I had my assistant take care of the results, print them off, and put them in the folder."

"Oh, so you don't know?"

"No," Maura shakes her head.

"I see."

"Jane you do realize that if she is your biological child, that in a few weeks you are going to have another one, right?"

"Yes," Jane nods, solemnly.

"And you do realize that just because she belongs to you biologically doesn't mean that she belongs to you, right?"

"I..."

"You're getting attached."

"I know."

"You don't even know if she's yours."

Jane stares at Maura, but doesn't say a thing.

"Jane, if you find out that she is your biological child, what are you going to do? You can't just take her. It is not that simple. You have no legal right to her, or the other child. This isn't a fairytale. You can't just run in, and rescue her. I know that you want to, but it just doesn't work that way."

"But if he doesn't..."

"If he doesn't, what?"

"If he doesn't want her..."

"That doesn't mean that she is yours, by default."

"But, she has no one, else. There is nobody. Her mother, and her brothers are all dead."

"I know that."

"What if he's the killer?"

"Jane..."

"Maura, that's a valid question."

"May I make a suggestion?"

"Yes," Jane nods.

"If you want to catch whoever did this, you need to take yourself off the case."

"Why?"

"Because if you ever want a conviction, you have to."

"Why?"

"If she is your daughter, the defense is going to argue that your emotions clouded your..."

"No," Jane shakes her head.

"If you really want to protect that little girl, that is how you do it."

"Sometimes I really hate you."

"I'm your best friend."

"You don't always have to be right," Jane argues.

"Yes, I do."

Jane stares at the folder.

"Open it."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't know if I'm ready to know."

"That's why you came down here, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Then open it."

"I..."

"Would you like for me to open it?"

"I don't know."

"I can read the results, if you would like. I was attempting to stay out of your business, though."

"How? How is running a DNA test that I asked you not to run, staying out of my business?"

"I didn't read the results."

"You should."

"Ok."

"Read them now."

"Ok," Maura agrees. Jane holds out the folder. Maura takes it from her. She flips it open, and reads it to herself.

"Aloud," Jane clarifies.


	8. Consequences

"How do you want this to turn out? What exactly do you expect to happen, here?"

Jane looks at her blankly. She shrugs, "To be honest, I don't know."

"Jane, I don't think that you need to know."

"I need to know."

"Do you? Is there anything that you can do? You can't change the past , and you don't control the future."

"Maura, just read the damn results!"

"Do I have to?"

"I am asking you to."

"Do you really need me to tell you, what you already know?"

"She's mine?"

Maura just nods. Before Jane can react, her phone is ringing. She glances at the caller id, and pulls the phone to her ear.

"Yeah, Frost, what do you need? Ok, I'll be right up."

Jane slips the phone back into her pocket. She pushes out the chair that she's sitting in, and she stands up. She leaves the room, without another word. She heads to the elevator. When she reaches the squad room she finds Frost attempting to calm Abbie.

"Frost what did you do to her? I left you alone, for five minutes, and she's crying?"

"I didn't do anything to her."

"What happened?" Jane asks, over the wails.

"James Gabriel walked in, and she started freaking out," he informs her.

She watches Frost, in silence, for a moment. He holds the little girl, close to him. She clings to him. He pets her head.

"Shh! Abbie it's going to be alright."

Abbie continues to cry. Jane touches her back, with her hand.

"Come here, sweetie," she reaches for the girl. Abbie practically leaps into Jane's arms.

"Go, I'll take care of her," Jane tells Frost. He nods, and leaves the room.

Jane takes a seat, at her desk. Abbie sits on her lap. Her head rests on Jane's shoulder. Jane places the girl on her desk. Abbie reaches out for her.

"Abbie, I need you to tell me why you're crying? Why are you so upset?"

"Make him go away," Abbie replies.

"Who?"

"My daddy."

"Why would you want me to make him go away?"

"He was there."

"He was where?"

"I heard his voice."

"When?" Jane probes.

"The night you found me in my closet."

"Are you sure that it was his voice?"

"Yes."

"It's ok, Abbie, you're safe. You're safe here, with me."

"Who's going to take care of me now?"

Jane doesn't respond she only attempts to keep from crying.

Hours later Frost returns from interrogation. He approaches Jane's desk. He finds her sitting at her desk, holding Abbie. Abbie's head is pressed up against Jane's chest, as she sleeps.

"Jane, it's late. You should go home, get some sleep."

"I can't," Jane responds.

"He confessed to killing his wife," Frost reveals.

"And his sons?"

"That was his mistresses idea."

"She killed them?"

"Yes."

"So now what's going to happen to her?"

"I don't know," Frost shrugs. He leans up against her desk.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Why are you so concerned about what's going to happen to her? Why are you so attached? Jane when are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know if I can."

"I'm your partner, you can tell me anything."

"You don't understand."

"Make me understand," he insists.

"I'm scared," she admits.

He looks at her, in utter confusion, and total surprise. "You're scared? Jane what is going on? You have never said that to me, before."

"I don't know how to fix this. I never thought that this would happen. I guess I didn't really think."

"What are you going on about?"

"Do you remember how you pointed out the resemblance?"

"Yeah, so?"

"What if there were something to that?"

"Like what?"

"What if you were right?"

"Right? You have a long lost daughter? Jane, come on, be serious. If you had a daughter, I think that I would know."

"Not if I didn't."

Her furrows his brow, "What do you mean? What are you saying?"

"How did you pay for college?"

"What? Why are you changing the subject?"

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are," he argues.

"I promise, I'm not. Just answer the question."

"My parents paid for me to go to college. Why?"

"Mine didn't. Mine didn't have the money to pay for me to go to college."

"So?"

"I had to pay for it."

"So you took out loans?"

"I don't believe in loans."

"Believe in loans?"

"I didn't want to spend the rest of my life paying back a loan."

"Ok, so?"

"I found another way to pay for college."

"Is this where you tell me you used to be an exotic dancer?"

"No," Jane shakes her head.

"So, what? You used to sell term papers?"

"No."

"I don't understand how one thing relates to the other."

"I sold my eggs."

"Eggs? Jane what are you talking about?"

She ignores his questions and continues with her train of thought, "I was supposed to be notified if my eggs were ever used, but I wasn't."

He looks at her, and then at the sleeping little girl, in her arms. "You think that she's your daughter. Jane, come on. That's ridiculous. I was just kidding. You're being paranoid."

"No, I'm not."

"How do you know?"

"Maura ran a DNA test."

"Of course she did."

"Frost, she's my daughter."

"You realize what this means, right?"

"What, what, means?"

"If she's your daughter, you're about to have a son, too."


	9. Shock

She stares at him in utter disbelief.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

She nods. "What am I going to do? How am I supposed to figure this out?"

"You have no legal right to them."

"They have no one."

"Are you really prepared to be someone's parent? You aren't really the maternal type. You work all the time. You sleep with your gun."

"I don't know," she shrugs.

"I would do the same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"If they were mine, I would fight for them."

"What if I fight, and I don't win? What if I can't win?"

"I don't know. You know that the lady from child protective services is on her way, right?"

"She's coming to get her?"

"Yes, they're putting her in emergency foster care."

"Frost do something. I..."

"Jane, it's only for a few nights, until they can figure something out."

"But..."

"If you want to fix this, you need to let her go."

"But..."

"Jane, you need time to figure things out."

"I hate when you're right."

"I know," he nods.

Ten minutes later a woman from child protective services arrives. She pries Abbie away from Jane. Jane can hear Abbie crying, as the little girl boards the elevator. Jane grabs her stuff, and heads for home.

After a long shower she pulls on some pajamas, and climbs into bed. She tosses and turns, and sleep refuses to come. She rolls over, and looks at the clock. She reaches for the phone, despite the time. She dials a familiar number. The party on the other line answers after only one ring.

"Hello?"

"Ma. It's me. I'm sorry to be calling so late. No one is hurt, or dead. I know that you were sleeping but..."

"What's wrong?"

"Can you just come over, please?"

"I'll be over in ten," she hangs up.

Angela arrives twelve minutes later. Jane greets her at the door. Angela shows up, in her pajamas. She stares at Jane.

"What's wrong? Why did you call me in the middle of the night? What happened?"

"Calm down."

"Tell me what's going on?"

"Have a seat, please."

"No good conversation ever began that way."

"Ma, please," Jane implores.

"Fine," Angela takes a seat on the couch. Jane paces. She chews on her cuticle.

"Jane, what's wrong? Why were you crying?"

"I'm not crying."

"Not now, but your face is all red, and your voice is funny. I know that you have been crying. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," she begins.

"What did you do? Did you kill your brother?"

"No," she shakes her head.

"Then what did you do? Why did you call me over here, in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know how to tell you this," Jane admits.

"Tell me what?"

"Please don't hate me."

"Hate you? Jane I could never hate you."

"I guess I should just come out, and say it."

"Say what? What's going on?"

"You know how you always say that you want to be a grandmother?"

"Yeah, and? Wait... are you pregnant? Whose the father?"

"No," Jane shakes her head, "I'm not pregnant."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Jane nods.

"Then why did you bring up me being a grandmother? Did one of your brother's get a girl pregnant?"

"No. That's not it."

"Then, what?"

"I don't know how to explain this."

"Explain what?"

"The situation."

"Start at the beginning, and stop pacing. Have a seat."

Jane relents. She takes a seat, on the couch, next to her mother.

"Do you remember how Maura asked you for a picture of me, when I was a kid?"

"Yes, why?"

"Didn't you find that odd?"

"Maura is odd, I don't question what she's does."

"Did she tell you what it was for?"

"No, it's a free country," Angela reminds her.

"She wanted it, because she wanted to do a photographic analysis."

"Uh huh."

"You see, there was this little girl at a crime scene. Frost sent her a picture, because he was astounded how much she looks like me."

"You called me at three o'clock in the morning, and got me out of bed, to talk about a case?"

"Let me finish," Jane insists.

"Fine."

"Then of course, because Maura lacks personal boundaries, she did a DNA test."

"On who?"

"The little girl."

"Against who?"

"Against me."

"Why?"

"Because of what Frost refers to as 'an uncanny resemblance', I guess."

"And she wasted her time?"

"Not exactly."

"Jane I don't understand."

"She's my daughter."

"Excuse me? You had a child, and you didn't tell me? I don't..." Angela begins, in an uproar.

"No. That's not what happened."

"You just said that you have a daughter."

"I do."

"I don't understand."

"When I was in college, I donated my eggs, in order to pay for my tuition."

"What?"

"Someone used those eggs, and it resulted in a little girl, named Abbie."

"Oh," is all she can manage to say, through the shock.

Jane stares at her mother, panic stricken. "I don't know what to do," she admits, as the tears roll down her cheeks.

Angela envelopes her, into a hug, "It'll be ok," she promises.


	10. Complications

She wakes up, feeling the urge to drink, immediately, before her brain can even process why she feels the need to drown her sorrows. She peels the covers back, and climbs out of the bed. She pads into the kitchen, and pours herself a glass. She skips the beer, pushes aside the tequila, and the whiskey. She reaches past the bottle of merlot, her fingers wrap around a bottle a bourbon. She pours the glass, she stares at it. This is only the second glass she's ever had in her life. She reaches for the glass. The glass nears her lips. Before she can taste the liquor suddenly it hits her. The reason, hits her like a freight train. Instead of meeting her lips, the glass is throttled towards the wall. It impacts the wall, and shatters into pieces.

She knocks on the door, but no one answers. She twists the handle of the door, and finds that it's unlocked. She pushes the door open, and steps inside. She looks into the apartment, and takes a step in. She finds the living room empty.

"Jane?" she calls out.

No one responds. She takes a few more steps, and the entire kitchen comes into view. Jane sits in the center of the floor, with her knees drawn to her chest. Her pajamas are still on, and her hair is pulled into a sloppy bun. She doesn't look up, as Maura enters the room.

"Don't step in glass," she warns flatly.

Maura looks to her right, and finds shards of glass, and a puddle of liquid on the floor. She moves towards Jane, taking care not to step in the broken glass. She squats on the ground, next to Jane.

"Are you ok?"

"No."

"Why aren't you at work?" she wonders.

"I just... can't deal with this case anymore. I can't..."

"It's ok."

"No, it's not ok, Maura. I made a huge mistake. I made the biggest decision of my life, without even considering the consequences. I screwed up. I can't take this back, and I don't know what I am supposed to do to fix it."

"One thing at a time."

"That's easy for you to say."

"What would you like me to say?"

"I want you to just tell me what you're thinking."

"Why did you do it in the first place?"

"I was young and stupid."

"Jane..." Maura trails off.

"What?" Jane snaps.

"If a man donated his sperm to a sperm bank, and later found out that he had a child, and then decided that he wanted that child, do you think he should have any right?"

"No," Jane shakes her head.

"Men leave sperm everywhere," Jane points out.

"What makes it different?"

"Women only have so many eggs."

"Jane, what makes you different? What makes it different, than a surrogate deciding that she wants the baby she's carried for nine months?"

"I don't know. I don't know what makes it different. I just know I made a mistake, and I want to take it back," she admits on the verge of tears.

"But you can't."

"I have a daughter. I have to do something. The technicalities don't matter, she's still my child. I..." Jane trails off, as the tears begin to fall.

"You what?"

"I never understood all of my mother's annoying qualities. Now they are starting to make sense. It doesn't matter how a child gets into this world. You love your child the instant that you find out about them. I can't take that back. It is an instant connection, and..." she wipes away tears.

"And what?"

"I'm scared, and confused, and I don't have a damn idea what I am supposed to do."

"You're asking me?"

Jane shrugs, "Who should I ask?"

Maura stands up, she reaches out for Jane. Jane pushes her hand away. She pushes herself off the floor.

"Come with me," Maura suggests.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I'm taking you to see the person you should ask."

Jane furrows her brow, but follows Maura. Maura walks into the bathroom.

"You have to pee first?" Jane raises an eyebrow.

"No," Maura shakes her head.

"I don't understand."

Maura points to the mirror, "Why don't you start, by asking her," she suggests.

Jane stares at her reflection in the mirror. She shakes her head.

"This isn't helping."

"What do you want me to do? I can't do anything to fix this. I can't do anything. You are the only one who can do anything."

Jane exhales, "I know, you're right."

"Good."

"Where are you going?"

"To work, which is probably where you should be going, too."

Maura leaves the apartment. Jane cleans up the mess in the kitchen, and then heads into the bedroom. She walks into the closet and grabs some clothes. She makes her way to the bathroom, and takes a quick shower.

Maura arrives at work only fifteen minutes after leaving Jane's apartment. She stops off in her office, to check her messages. She's nearly finished when her cell phone rings.

"Dr. Isles," she answers, "Yes, I'll be right there," she hangs up.

Her fingers dial a familiar number, furiously. After dialing it suddenly hits her that the person she is trying to reach is on speed dial. Before she can go much deeper into thought the party on the other line picks up.

Jane is drying her hair, when her cell rings. She flips off the hairdryer, and places it on the counter. She glances at the phone, checking the caller ID. She grabs the phone, and pulls it to her ear, after seeing who it is.

"Rizzoli," she answers, out of habit.

"Jane I need to talk to you"

"Can't it wait? I'll be there in a few."

"No, it' can't wait."

"Just let me finish getting my.."

Maura cuts her off, "James Gabriel was killed in prison."


	11. Circumstance

She pulls her hair back as she stands outside the cell. The cell door is open, and Maura waits next to her. Jane snaps on gloves. Frost, and Korsak approach them. Jane takes a step towards the open cell. Frost steps in front of her. He puts his arms up, and blocks her path.

"Whoa, where are you going?"

"To my crime scene."

"No, Jane, you're not. If you want this case to be solved, and whoever to did this to be convicted you will not take one more step."

"Frost," she argues.

"You have a personal interest in this case, it will look bad. The prosecution will have a field day with it."

Korsak shoots him a look. Frost doesn't say a word. Korsak's eyes fall to Maura. Maura ignores his glance, and focuses on her bag. Jane throws up her gloved hands.

"Fine," she relents, and turns to walk away. She peels off her purple gloves, balls them up, and throws them in a nearby trashcan.

Korsak watches her, as she walks away. He stares at the two people in front of him. The CSU team works inside the cell, completely unfazed. Korsak's eyes bounce between Maura, and Frost. Finally his eyes fall on Frost. Clearly Frost would be the weak link here. Maura wouldn't give up any information.

"Would you like to tell me what's going on?"

"No," Frost shakes his head.

"Why not?"

"Because it's not any of your business," Frost replies.

His focus bobs to Maura's face. She looks at him, straight on.

"Maura, would _you_ like to tell me what's going on?"

"I am unable to disclose anything at this time," she responds.

"Is that your official response?" Vince questions.

"Yes, now could you get out of the way? I have work to do."

Frost looks at him, "She's right, we have a murder to solve."

"The murder of a murderer," Vince adds.

"Come on," Maura insists, impatiently.

Vince moves, and allows her into the cell.

Jane leaves the building, and heads to her car. She puts the key in the ignition, and turns on the engine. She slowly pulls on her seatbelt. She fastens it, and stares at the gearshift, trying to drudge up the will power to put it into gear.

The phone attached to her belt begins to ring. She reaches for it, without looking at the caller id. She puts it to her ear.

"Rizzoli," she answers.

"Yes, Detective Rizzoli, this is Ann Greenlee, with the department of job and family services."

"Yes."

"I am calling in regards to Abigail Gabriel."

"Ok."

"She is asking for you."

"Oh."

"She is insisting upon talking to you."

"Is she still with her foster family?"

"No, she's here. She refused to go with her foster family last night. She said that she only felt safe with you."

"Oh."

"I was hoping that you could talk to her, and convince her to go."

"Sure, I'll be right there," Jane agrees.

Jane arrives at the Job And Family Services building. She parks the car, and heads into the building. By the time she reaches the elevator she is filled with a sense of dread. Miss Greenlee is waiting outside the elevator, when she reaches the third floor.

Ann notices the badge on Jane's belt. She quickly realizes who Jane is. When she sees Jane, she does a double take. She takes a moment to compose herself, and then begins introductions.

"Dectective Rizzoli, I presume?"

"Yes," Jane confirms.

Ann offers her hand, "I'm Ann Greenlee. If you follow me, I'll take you to my office. Abbie is waiting there, for you."

"Lead the way," Jane answers.

Jane steps off the elevator, and follows Ann to her office. Ann opens the door, and steps into the office. Jane steps in behind her. Abbie sits with her back to the door. She sits contently at the desk, coloring a picture. Ann kneels down, next to her.

"Abbie, there is someone here to see you."

"I don't want to see anyone."

"I think that you will want to see her."

"I don't want to see anyone, but Jane."

"Then I think that you should turn around," Ann suggests.

Abbie turns around. Her face lights up, when she sees Jane. She hops down, off the chair, and runs to Jane. She wraps her arms around Jane's waist.

"Hi, sweetie," Jane greets.

"Hi Jane. Are you here to take me home with you?"

Jane bends down, to be at Abbie's level.

"Abbie, I can't."

"Why not? I want to stay with you."

"Abbie you can't stay with me."

"Why not? I'm scared."

"I know, but I promise you're safe," Jane feels a pang of guilt as the words leave her mouth.

"I just want to stay with you."

"Abbie you have my card, you can call me anytime. Day or night? Ok?"

"I just want to stay with you."

"Abbie that just isn't possible."

"Why not? I like you. My mommy, and daddy are gone. Why can't I stay with you?"

"Abbie it's not that simple."

"Why not?"

"Abbie, let's make a deal. You stay with they family that they want you to, for a little while, and I'll help find you a really great family."

"Why can't you be my family? I love you?"

"Abbie, I would love that, but it's just not possible. I work a lot of hours, and I would never get to see you. I am not qualified to take care of you."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that... well you know how you have to have a license to drive a car?"

"Yes," Abbie nods in understanding.

"To be a foster parent you have to have a license."

"Get one," Abbie begs.

"Abbie, please."

"Jane, don't leave me."

"Jane, can we speak outside for a moment?"

"Sure," Jane nods.


	12. Changes

Jane steps outside the office, with Miss Greenlee. Ann closes the door behind them.

"Are you related to Abbie?"

"I..."

Ann continues, "I only ask, because you two look so much alike."

Jane changes the subject, "Are you aware that the Gabriel's were expecting a second child, via surrogate?"

"No I was not."

"They are, a little boy, I believe."

"Do you have information on that?"

"Not with me, but if you give me a fax number, I can send it to you."

"Have you ever considered becoming a foster parent?"

"You can't be serious. I'm a cop. I have an incredibly dangerous job, with erratic hours. I am not a good candidate."

"The only reason I ask, is because with the holiday season it is incredibly difficult to place a child. I was hoping that you would be willing to be Abbie's emergency foster parent, until we can find something more permanent."

"You mean there isn't a family to take her?"

"Not right now, no."

"Unbelievable."

"Not enough people want to be foster parents. The ones that do are mostly motivated by money."

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"It's complicated."

"This entire case is very complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"Abbie has only one living relative. A very elderly great aunt in Maine. She is incapable of taking care of her."

"Neither one of the Gabriel's had any family?"

"They were both only children, with deceased parents. And her only other relatives, her brothers were murdered."

"I see. So who will get custody of her?"

"The state, for the time being, until someone either adopts her, or..."

"Or?"

"If a close family friend stepped forward we may award them custody."

"Oh."

"Not to mention that Abigail is a product of donors. That complicates matters even further."

"Her biological father is dead."

"Yes, I am aware. However the information regarding her biological mother is confidential."

"Would you give custody to the biological mother? The egg donor?"

"Potentially, if she was interested, and a suitable candidate."

"What about the surrogate?"

"If the surrogate became interested, then we may possibly consider that, too, if there is already an established relationship with the child."

"What if I could get you the information on the biological mother, would that help?"

"Yes, I don't see how you could..."

"I'll get you the information. When I do, we can finish the conversation."

"Until then I have nowhere to place Abby."

"No where?"

"No," Ann shakes her head.

"I see."

"Would you like to become her emergency foster parent?"

"I..."

"She feels safe with you. That is incredibly important during this time of upheaval for her."

"Ok," Jane agrees.

Ann smiles widely. She returns to her office to tell Abbie the good news. Abbie bounds out of the room, with her coat, and her backpack. She smiles at Jane. Jane offers her hand. Abbie gladly takes it.

"Where are we going?" Abbie wonders.

"I..." before Jane can answer Ann interrupts.

"Jane, can I get you to sign these, please?"

"Sure," Jane agrees. She signs the paperwork, and Ann allows her to leave.

"Are we going to the police station now?" Abbie inquires as they head to the elevator.

"For a few minutes," Jane agrees.

When Jane arrives at the precinct she makes a beeline for the cafe. She finds her mother wiping down tables. Angela is so busy cleaning the tabletop she doesn't notice Jane walk in.

"Hey Ma?"

"Jane I'm working," she replies, without looking up.

"Can you take a break, and come with me?"

"Jane I have a lot to do, before lunch."

"Stanley can cover it."

"He needs my help."

"Ma, I need your help more."

"Jane, not now."

"Ma, could you look at me when I'm talking to you."

Abbie giggles, Angela's head snaps up. She stares at Jane, and the little girl.

"Not a word," Jane warns her mother.

Angela nods, "Ok."

"I need to run an errand, and I need you to come with me, so you can watch Abbie."

"Why can't I watch her here?"

"Ma," Jane taps her foot, impatiently.

Angela tosses the rag down, "Ok, are you going to introduce us, first?"

Jane nods, "Ma, this is Abbie. Abbie, this is my mom, Angela."

"Hi," Abbie smiles.

"Nice to meet you," Angela shakes her hand.

Twenty minutes later Jane parks her car, outside an office building. Abbie, and Angela sit in the backseat.

"You two stay here. I'll just be a few minutes," she promises.

"Ok," Abbie agrees.

"Anything you say dear," Angela answers.

Jane rolls her eyes, and gets out of the car.


	13. Chaos

Jane stops at an desk. The clerk behind the desk appears to be barely 18. Her hair is spiky, and pink, and she pops bubble gum, as her feet rest on the counter. She reads a book, and is too busy to notice Jane.

"Excuse me," Jane bangs on the desk.

The girl looks at her, "Hold on one second."

"Now! I don't have all day."

"Lady, give me a minute."

Jane pulls out her badge, "Lady, I don't have all day," she flashes it.

The girl hops up, and moves towards the counter.

"How can I help you, ma'am?"

"Don't call me ma'am."

"Officer how can I help you?"

"Detective," Jane corrects.

"I need a copy of medical records," Jane informs her.

"You need a warrant."

"They are my medical records."

"All of them?"

"No. I need a copy of medical records from nineteen-ninety four to nineteen-ninety six."

"I'll get them for you. It may take a moment, because we have a lot of records here."

"No kidding."

"Name, please."

"Jane Rizzoli," she answers.

"I'll be back in just a minute," she replies.

"Don't get lost," Jane warns.

"I won't," the girl promises.

Less than five minutes later the girl returns. She hands Jane a manila folder.

"There you are."

"How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing, as long as you promise not to file a complaint," the girl replies.

"Ok," Jane agrees, "Thank you."

She takes the files, and heads back to the car. She drives back to the station, and faxes the papers to Ann Greenlee. She's finishing up, when the phone at her desk rings. She groans, and heads to the phone.

"Rizzoli," she answers.

"Yes, this is Amanda O'Brien I am with Hope Shines Fertility Specialists. I am calling in regards to Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel. I learned that Mrs. Gabriel has recently become deceased. I was wondering if you had a way that I could contact her husband?"

"I do not."

"You are the detective on the case, aren't you?"

"I am, however I have no way to contact him."

"Because?"

"He is also deceased."

"Oh."

"Can I ask, why are you trying to get a hold of Mr. Gabriel?"

"His surrogate has gone into labor."

"I thought that the baby wasn't due for another six weeks."

"Five. She's gone into preterm labor. They are trying to stop labor, but if there is anyone who would like to be at the birth, I suggest that they get to the hospital."

"Do you know the fax number for here?"

"Yes, I do."

"If you fax me the information I will take care of it."

"Thank you."

Jane hangs up the phone. She sits at her desk for a moment, frozen, unable to move.

Maura notices Jane sitting at her desk. Jane has her back to Maura, so she is unaware of her presences. She bangs her fists on the desk. She growls in frustration.

"Are you ok?" Maura asks.

Jane spins around. "I didn't know you were standing there."

"I was looking for Frost."

"Where is everyone?"

"I think that they're still at the crime scene. What are you doing here?"

"I was just using the fax machine."

"Are you ok?"

"No, I'm not. Everything is a mess."

Before Maura can offer any kind of support Jane's cell starts ringing. She pulls the phone out of her pocket.

"Hello? Yeah. Ok. I'll be right down," hangs up the phone.

"I'm here if you want to talk," Maura tells her.

"I can't, I've got to go," Jane walks past Maura. She grabs some papers out of the fax machine, and heads out of the bullpen, towards the elevator.

Jane gets off the elevator, and heads to her car. She finds Abbie, and her mother waiting on her. She climbs into the car, and places the papers on the seat next to her.

Angela notices Jane's face in the rearview. She looks at Abbie, who is asleep in the seat next to her.

"Jane, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jane lies.

"Jane I am your mother, I know when your lying, what's wrong?"

Jane sighs, "Everything."

"Could you be more specific?"

"I may have left out a few details."

"What are you talking about?"

"Abbie's parents are both dead. And so are her brothers."

"Ok?"

"She doesn't have any other family."

"That's why you have her?"

"That, and because of the holidays there are no available foster families to take her right now."

"So you want my advice?"

"I..." Jane struggles to come up with an answer.

"My help?"

"I don't know? I don't know what I want."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Abbie is going to have a brother."

"What do you mean, going to?"

"A surrogate is carrying the Gabriel's unborn child. I just got a call that the surrogate is in labor."

"So what will happen to him?"

"I don't know."

"Why do you look so conflicted?"

"Because he is Abbie's biological brother."

"They have the same father," Angela responds.

Jane looks in the rearview mirror at her mother, "No."


	14. Possibility

"What am I going to?" Jane asks in a voice small enough to belong to a child.

Her mother stares back at her, with wisdom in her eyes. "You do what your heart tells you to do."

"I don't know how. I..."

"What do you want?"

Jane bites her bottom lip, "I don't know," she shrugs, conflicted.

"What don't you know?"

"I don't know if I'm ready for all of this. I'm not ready to be a parent. I can't do this on my own."

"But?"

"But I don't know."

"You're scared, that's only natural."

"But..."

"Why don't you drop us off at your place? Go for a walk, or a drive, and clear your head, ok?"

"How, can I?"

"You have to."

"Ok," Jane agrees.

She puts the car into drive. She drives home. She parks in front of the building. She carefully removes Abbie from the backseat of the car, and carries her into her house. Her mother follows behind them. Angela watches as Jane places Abbie on the couch. She pulls the throw off the back of the couch. She tucks Abbie in tightly. She stands, frozen, for a moment. She turns, and looks at her mother.

"Go," her mother's soft, reassuring voice tells her.

She nods, and with keys in hand she leaves the room. She heads out the door, and down the steps, onto the sidewalk. She follows the sidewalk to the curb, and walks around the front of her car. She climbs inside, and puts it into drive. She's where she's going, before she's even decided where she's headed.

She puts the car into park, and stares at the house in front of her, for a while. Finally she gets out of the car, and walks up to the door. She stands in front of the door, but hesitates. The door opens, before she can knock.

"Your mother called, and said that you might come here."

Jane doesn't respond.

"Come in," Maura motions.

Jane nods, and follows her into the house. Maura leads her into the kitchen. Jane leans up against the island. Maura stares at her, waiting for her to say something, but she says nothing.

"Jane, are you going to talk to me?" Maura questions.

"I don't know what to say."

"You know fear is a normal human emotion."

"You have no idea."

"No, because you don't want to share your thoughts."

"I don't know what I think. I just found out that I have a six year old daughter. As if that isn't hard enough to deal with, I find out that I am going to have another biological child, any minute."

"Jane calm down."

"Calm down? Maura, how the Hell, am I supposed to calm down? I know nothing about being a parent. I don't even know if I want to be a parent."

"Then why are you so conflicted?"

"I..." Jane furrows her brow, unable to answer.

"Jane you're responsibility to them, is over. You provided your genetic material, to create them. That is all you signed up for. That is all you are obligated to do. You know that, right?"

"It's easy for you to say that."

"Easy? How do you figure that?"

"Because you didn't just find out that you have a six year old child, and a baby on the way."

"Jane, it's not easy for me to say that. I know how you feel. I know what kind of person you are. I know that you feel obligated. You are afraid how you will feel, if you don't commit to this, but even more so, you're afraid how they'll feel if you don't do this."

"They will feel abandoned, just like you did."

"I didn't."

"You shouldn't try to lie to me. I know when you're lying."

"That was an entirely different situation. I would understand, if I were in the situation that your biological children are in."

"No, you wouldn't. An adult can rationalize, and reason. A child, only knows who was there for them, and who wasn't. It's simple."

"It sounds as if you have already decided."

"I haven't. I need guidance."

"You want me to say something, to make everything better?"

"Yes."

"I can't do that."

"Please."

"Jane I can't make this better. This is not a murder that we can solve. It's not a scientific puzzle that can be put together, with a little extra effort, and information."

"I know that. What am I supposed to do? I work crazy hours. I work all the time, day, and night. I love my job. I don't want to have to give it up."

"But?"

"I also don't want to be responsible for making someone feel abandoned, for the rest of their life. I can't imagine what it would feel like to know that your parents both died, under circumstances that were... horrendous, and that your biological parent didn't want you. That the only person in the world you had, didn't want you. I don't want to do that to someone."

"Jane, can I ask you a question?"

"I don't think that I have ever been able to stop you."

"May I ask you a question?"

"You are asking my permission, to ask me a question?"

"Yes," Maura confirms, with a nod.

"Ok, what?"

"I know all the things that you do, but I have a different perspective. I see things that you don't see..." Maura begins.

"I thought there was going to be a question."

"There is."

"Then get on with it."

"Has it ever occurred to you, that maybe you could love something, more."

"More? More, than what?"

"Your job? Have you ever considered the possibility that there is something, someone that you could love, more than your job?"

"No," Jane shakes her head.

"Maybe it's time you consider that possibility."


	15. Torn

"Do you ever feel as if there is something missing in your life?" Maura inquires.

"Do you?"

"Yes, sometimes. I have worked my entire life, for what I have, for the things that I have. Yet, each night, when I come home to an empty house, it seems as if something is missing."

"I have never wanted children."

"There are a lot of things that start out that way."

"What do your mean?" Jane raises an eyebrow.

"I never wanted to be friends with a cop."

"Hey!"

"My point is, sometimes it's not about what we want, or what we don't want. It's about what we've got, and what we could have."

"You think that I should do this?"

"I think that you think that you should."

"I want to know what you think."

"I think, that if I know you, like I think that I do, you will always feel regret, if you don't do this. You will never be able to forgive yourself, for not taking the chance."

"What if I can't win?"

"Jane, I've never known you to run away from a fight. That is one of the things that I admire most about you."

"Why am I so afraid? She's a six year old little girl."

"If I had to conjecture, I would guess that, you've seen all of the things that can go wrong, and it scares the hell out of you."

"Maybe a little," she admits.

"Are you really willing to change everything? Are you ready to take this big of a gamble?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because that little girl needs me."

"Your little girl," Maura corrects.

"Yes."

"Then you should fight for her."

"What if I can't win?"

"At least you will know that you did everything, you possibly could, to give her the life that you want her to have."

"And what about the baby?"

"You have time to figure that out, don't you?"

"No," Jane shakes her head.

"What do you mean, no? The baby isn't supposed to be here, for weeks, is it?"

"He isn't due for five more weeks, but I got a call, that the surrogate has gone into labor."

"So what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean? What am I going to do?"

"Are you going to try and make it, in time for him to be born?"

"I can't leave Abbie. She's in my custody."

"So take her with you."

"I don't think that would be a very wise choice."

"So have your mother stay with her."

"I doubt that I can even get there, in time. The closest airport is Cleveland."

"And?"

"And? They just got twelve inches of lake effect snow. I doubt that I could get a flight, in, or out."

"What will happen to him, if you don't get there, in time?"

"I don't know," Jane shrugs.

"Jane..."

"What, Maura?"

"I think that you need a lawyer."

"No, kidding."

"I know an excellent one."

"I can't afford an excellent one."

"He owes me a favor."

"A favor? What for?"

"That's not important. Would you like for me to call him?"

"Yes," Jane nods.

"Just try to get to the airport, I'll take care of it."

"I should get home, before Abbie wakes up."

"Ok. Good luck."

Jane returns home. She unlocks the door, and steps inside. She finds her mother working on dinner, as Abbie sleeps, on the couch. Angela looks up, as Jane enters.

"She's like you, you know. She can sleep through anything."

"Good to know."

"Did you talk to Maura?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And, I hate that she knows me so well."

"Are you going to Ohio?"

"I don't know," Jane admits, as she slides onto the couch.

"You shouldn't miss the birth."

"I don't know if I have a choice."

"What happens, if you do? I don't think that you'll ever forgive yourself."

"Ma, it's out of my control, you know."

"I know."

"Just like, the stupid name, is out of my control. What kind of name is August, anyway. Why can't they just name him something normal? Alex, or Andrew? Anything, but August."

"August is great."

"No, it's not."

"No, it means great."

"So what? There are a lot of great people who aren't named August."

"You should try to get a flight."

"Ma, I already did. The airport is closed."

"So drive."

"Drive? You're kidding right? Do you have any clue how long it would take to get there?"

"No."

"Too long. In this weather, it could easily take a day, or longer."

"So you're just going to miss it?"

"If I have to."


	16. Work

Jane's cell phone rings. She answers it, quickly to prevent waking Abbie up.

"Rizzoli," she anwers.

"Hi, Detective Rizzoli, this is Amanda, we spoke earlier."

"Yes?"

"It seems as if they have been able to stop the labor. They are going to monitor them, and if all goes well they'll send the surrogate home in the morning."

"So, no baby?"

"No, not tonight. You can let whoever is responsible, know."

"Thank you."

"Have a good night."

"Bye." Jane hangs up.

She places the phone on the coffee table. She watches Abbie's chest rise, and fall, as she sleeps.

"Mommy!" Abbie screams, in her sleep.

Angela stares at Jane, "Do something," Angela insists.

"Mommy!" Abbie cries.

Jane inches towards Abbie. She gently nudges Abbie.

"Abbie, I'm right here," she reassures her.

Abbie sits up, and hugs her tightly. Jane holds her closely. She brushes her hair out of her face.

"Jane?"

"Yeah, Abbie?"

"Who is going to take care of me, now that my mommy, and daddy are gone?"

"I don't know, sweetie," Jane admits.

"Can I stay with you?" Abbie quizzes.

"I would love for you to stay with me, but I don't know if that is going to be possible, or not."

"I'm scared," Abbie tells her.

"I know."

Later that night, she finds herself alone in bed, with wet hair, and a heavy heart. She stares up at the ceiling. The silence of the room, only adds to her anxiety. She tosses, and turns, in an attempt to fall asleep. Her mind runs down a million possibilities. Eventually she dozes off to sleep.

Hours later, she awakens, to screaming. She jumps out of bed, without a second thought. She races into the living room, and finds Abbie, on the couch, screaming, and crying, in her sleep. Jane lowers herself onto the couch.

"Abbie, hey, wake up," she whispers, softly.

The screaming stops, and Abbie sits up. She looks up at Jane, with big, dark brown eyes. She had dark circles under her eyes. She struggles to catch her breath. Jane reaches for her. Abbie springs into Jane's waiting arms. Jane pushes Abbie's hair out of her face. The sweat has the little girl's hair stuck to her face.

Jane begins talking, slowly, in a quiet voice, "Abbie, how long have you been having nightmares?"

"I don't know. Ever since..." she trails off.

"What happens, in your nightmares?"

"I hear mommy screaming, and then when the screaming stops, I come out of my closet. I walk into the hallway. I stand at the top of the stairs, and look through the railing. And then, I see mommy on the floor, and she's covered in blood."

"Abbie, did you come out of the closet?"

Abbie's eyes meet Jane's, "I know I wasn't supposed to, but I wanted to know if she was alright."

"It's ok," Jane tells her.

"She wasn't ok."

"I know."

"Can I sleep with you?" Abbie begs.

"Yes," Jane agrees.

The little girl wraps herself around Jane, like a snake. Jane gets off the couch, and carries the traumatized little one back to her bed. Jane places Abbie in the bed, and then crawls in next to her.

Angela arrives at the apartment, a little before 8 A.M. She quietly lets herself in. She makes her way through the living room, towards the bedroom. She tiptoes into Jane's bedroom. She steps through the doorway. She stands next to the bed, in silence. She pulls out her phone, and snaps a picture.

Tangled in sheets, and blankets, Abbie, and Jane sleep, soundly. Jane is on the wrong side of the bed. She lies on her side, facing the door. Her arm is wrapped around the tiny body next to her. Abbie's head rests on her shoulder, and her hand rests on Jane's heart. Jane's head is nearly buried in Abbie's hair.

Angela puts her phone away, and moves closer to the bed. She knows better than to touch either of them, while they're sleeping.

"Jane," she calls out. She elicits no response.

"Rizzoli!" she barks.

Jane's eyes open up. She stares up at Angela. She doesn't move.

"Ma, what are you doing here?"

"Just checking on you?"

"Why?"

"Just cause."

"Ma, I may not have a lot of experience with kids, but I am not a moron. I know that you have to bathe them, and feed them. I can handle it."

"Rough night?" Angela inquires.

Jane looks down. There are blankets tangled around them. Abbie wears one sock, and the other lies at the foot of the bed. One of the pillows lies on the ground.

"To say the least. She was having nightmares."

"Poor kid."

"You have no idea."

"What do you mean?"

"I think that she came out of the closet, after the perp left."

"And?"

"And I think she saw the aftermath. That is what she was dreaming about."

"Can I make you some coffee, and French toast?"

"I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to stay here, until she wakes up."

"Ok," Angela nods.

The phone on Jane's bedside stand begins to vibrate. Jane carefully slips her arm out from under Abbie's head. She reaches over the sleeping girl with her other. She pulls the phone to her ear.

"Rizzoli," she answers, "Yeah. Ok. I'll be there," her tone grows unhappier with each word. She hangs up the phone, and looks at her mother.

"I'll watch her, if you want."

"Are you sure?"

"I think that you should stay with her, but it's up to you."

"So do I, but..."

"But what? You have to choose your priorities."

"Maura called me, herself."

"Then they need the best."

"Frankie can handle it."

"Go. She's fine with me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."


	17. Paradigm

She feels fingers touching her arm, gently shakings her. She looks up. She realizes that she's fallen asleep. Her arms are folded on the top of her desk, and her head rests on her arms. As she looks up she notices the drool on her arm. She finds big brown eyes staring back at her.

"Go home," he tells her in a quiet, but firm voice.

She stretches, "I'm fine," she lies.

"It's after midnight. Go home, Jane. I'll call you, if anything changes."

"I..."

He squats down, next to her desk. He looks around the bullpen, to confirm that there is no one else around. He locks eyes with her.

"You've never had to choose between this, and something else, before now, you do. Let me tell you, from experience, you don't wan to choose this."

"But..."

"Jane, go home, to your little girl."

She looks back at him, without saying a word. She furrows her brow, unable to respond.

"It's ok to feel conflicted. It's ok to feel angry. It's ok, not to choose this."

"I have bills to pay."

"Jane everything happens for a reason."

"You sound like my childhood priest."

"Do you want to be like Korsak?"

"I..."

"He's a damn good cop, but he has sacrificed everything for it. Do you want to wind up like him?"

"No."

"Making this choice, isn't going to change the fact that you're a damn good cop. It just means that you have a life, outside of this place."

"But..."

He cuts her off, anticipating what she's about to say, "It makes you vulnerable, so what? It makes you human. I understand. It's like leaving your heart at home, everyday, when you come to work, but..."

"But I can't. I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to choose anything else, but this."

"Do you want to have a family."

"I don't know."

"It might not be conventional, but when have you ever been conventional?"

"I'm scared."

"Of failing?"

"Yes," she directs her glance to the floor, breaking eye contact.

"It's a chance you have to take."

"I don't have anyone to help me. I can't do this on my own."

"First of all, _you_ can do anything. Second of all you have a lot of people who care about you, who are willing to help you."

"Name one other, than my mother," Jane challenges.

"Me."

Her eyes lock on his. She pushes a thought from her mind, and swallows hard. She exhales, and finally comes up with a response.

"What do you know about kids?"

"I'll have you know that I am great with kids."

"What about newborns? I know nothing about newborns."

"If you need help, I'll help."

"What do you know about babies."

"They eat, they sleep, they poop. How hard can it be?"

"It's not that easy, and you know how vicious I can be without any sleep."

"Take a leap of faith, or stand right where you're standing now, for the rest of your life, your call."

She nods, "I should go home, and get some sleep."

"Yeah, you should," he agrees, with a wide smile, on his face.

Jane tiptoes in the door. The lamp in the corner of the room sheds light on the living room. Jane furrows her brow, at the scene in front of her. She finds Maura sitting on the couch, holding Abbie, reading a book to her. Jane closes the door behind her.

Abbie looks up at Jane. She smiles, and runs over to her. Jane lifts her off the ground, and hugs her tightly.

"You're home."

"Why aren't you in bed?"

"I was waiting on you," Abbie answers.

"Did you have a bath?"

"Yes," Abbie confirms.

"Did you brush your teeth."

"Not yet."

"Go brush your teeth, I want to talk to Dr. Isles for a minute, ok?" Jane responds, sitting the little girl back on the ground.

The little girl's feet smack against the hardwood flooring as she races off to the bathroom. Jane approaches Maura. She slips off her coat, and takes a seat on the couch. She furrows her brow, and looks at Maura.

"What are you doing here?"

"I stopped by after work, to see if your mother needed any help."

"Oh."

"Abbie refused to go to bed, and your mother was exhausted, so I told her that I would stay."

"Why?"

"You would do the same."

Jane nods, in acknowledgment, "Thank you."

"So, have you decided what you're going to do?"

"Not really. I don't know how to go about any of this."

"You will figure it out."

"I hope so."

"She's really attached to you. You're the only person that she feels secure with."

"How am I supposed to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I commit to this. If I keep her, how am I supposed to leave her, for work, everyday, knowing that she doesn't feel safe with anyone but me?"

"She will learn. She adores your mother."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Have you..." Jane stops abruptly.

"Have I what?"

"Nothing, never mind."

"Tell me," Maura begs.

"It's just, Frost... earlier he offered to help, and... it just felt weird. I don't know how to explain it, but..."

Maura laughs.

"What's so funny?" Jane wonders.

"I thought that you knew."

"Knew what?"

"It is so obvious to everyone else."

"What is?"

"Frost has a thing for you."

"A thing for you, no, he doesn't. He's my partner."

"I'm telling you, he does."


	18. Doppelganger

She lies in bed, wide awake. She stares up at the ceiling, thinking of what Maura had said to her, earlier. Physically she feels exhausted, emotionally she feels drained, but mentally she's wide awake. She tries to make sense of it all. She listens to the silence of the room.

Soon the silence is interrupted, by the sound of footsteps. They are quiet footsteps. Jane rolls from her back, on to her side, to face the door. She watches as a small figure appears in the doorway. The figure doesn't move. She just looks into the room.

"Abbie, I'm not asleep," Jane reveals.

"Oh," she turns to leave.

"You can sleep in here, if you want."

Abbie comes into the bedroom. She hops onto the bed. She climbs over Jane, and lands on the other side of her. She burrows under the covers. She lies underneath the covers in silence, for several moments. Finally she gives into the need to ask important questions.

"Jane?"

"Yes, Abbie?"

"What is going to happen to my brother?"

"What do you mean?"

"I am supposed to be getting a little brother. What will happen to him?"

"I don't know," Jane admits.

"What is going to happen to me?"

"I don't know that, either."

"Am I ever going to get to meet my brother?"

"I hope so."

"His name is going to be August," Abbie reveals.

"I know."

"Jane?"

"Yes, Abbie?"

"I was wondering..." Abbie trails off, wrestling with her own thoughts.

"What were you wondering?"

"Why do I look like you?"

Jane feels the question hit her, like a sucker punch. She swallows hard, trying to come up with an acceptable answer. The question catches her completely off guard.

"Will my brother look like me?"

"Abbie I don't think that we should talk about this right now."

"Why not?"

"Because it is very late, and we should both be sleeping."

"Ok."

"Good night, Abbie."

"Night," she rolls over, and closes her eyes.

After another hour, Jane finally falls asleep. She goes into a deep sleep. She's so sound asleep, that she doesn't hear the alarm go off. She sleeps through the alarm. When she finally wakes up she finds Abbie sitting on top of her. Jane lies on her back. Abbie sits on her, pinning her to the bed. Jane's eyes pop open.

"Morning!" Abbie smiles.

"Why are you sitting on me?"

"So you won't get away."

"Why do you think I'm going to get away?"

"Because you slept too long. Your alarm went off."

"What time is it?"

"Nine thirty."

"No it's not," Jane argues.

"Nine thirty one," Abby answers, looking at the clock.

Jane lifts Abbie off her, and sits her on the bed. She rolls over, and looks at the clock. She scrambles to get out of bed. She runs into the closet and collects clothes. She goes into the kitchen, and pours a bowl of cereal.

"Abbie, take this, and go watch cartoons, I've got to take a shower."

"Ok," Abbie agrees, as Jane races to the bathroom.

By the time Jane gets out of the bathroom, her mother is sitting in the living room, with Abbie. Jane collects her phone, gun, and keys.

"How did you get in?" Jane asks.

"She let me in."

"Abbie, don't open the door for strangers."

"She's not a stranger. She told me that it was her."

"Don't let anyone in. Ok?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Bye, have a good day," Jane hugs her.

"Have a good day at work. I'll be waiting when you get home."

"Waiting, for what?"

"For you to answer my questions."

"I will answer your questions, but you need to be asleep, when I get home," Jane warns, as she scampers out the door.

She makes it to the station in record time. She skips the elevator, and races up the stairs. She slides into the chair at her desk. She huffs, and puffs, trying to catch her breath. Korsak, and Frost stare at her, from their desks. She looks over, realizing she's being watched.

"Nice of you to join us," Korsak teases.

"Sorry I'm late. I slept through the alarm, and then Abbie turned it off."

"Excuses, excuses," Frost shakes his head.

"I'm sorry. What did I miss?"

"Nothing. We've been doing paperwork all morning. You could have stayed home. Which you would have known that, if you had checked your voicemail, this morning."

Jane pulls out her phone. She unlocks it, and notices that she has three missed messages. She dials her voicemail, and checks them. After listening to her voicemail, she deletes them. She returns the phone to her pocket, and looks at her colleagues.

"I'm just gonna go, then," she decides.

Korsak's phone rings. He answers. He talks for a few seconds, and hangs up. Jane is vacating her seat, and getting ready to leave.

"Not so fast," Korsak warns.

"What?"

"We've got a case now," Korsak tells her.

Her heart sinks. She shakes her head, "I can't. I can't do this."

"Do what?"

"This. I just... I'm not going to do this," she answers, beginning to cry.

"Are you crying?" Korsak wonders.

"Korsak, you go ahead, I'll take it from here," Frost insists.

Korsak nods, leaving the squad room. Frost approaches Jane. Without warning, he hugs her.

"It's ok," he promises, "Why don't you go talk to the lieutenant, about taking a few days off?"

She doesn't answer, she just hugs him tightly. He doesn't let go. He lets her hug him.


	19. Explanation

She finds a little girl, sleeping on the floor, in front of the TV, as she comes in the door.

"You're home early," Angela comments.

"I took a couple of days."

"Oh."

"You can go, thank you."

"I..."

"I've got some things I've got to do."

"Ok," Angela nods respectfully, gathering her things. She leaves the apartment.

Jane peels Abbie off the floor. She carries her into her bedroom, and lays her in bed. She snuggles up with her. She lies on her side, just staring at the little girl. She looks like an angel with a halo of dark hair, as she sleeps. She nearly tears up, just staring at her, as she sleeps.

She reaches for her phone. She makes several phone calls, as Abbie sleeps. After half a dozen phone calls, she gives into her exhaustion. She melts into her bed. She closes her eyes, and drifts into unconsciousness.

When she opens her eyes, her bed is empty. She looks around the room, and finds no one. Panic begins to set in. She leaves her bedroom, and heads into the kitchen. No one. She glances in the bathroom, but it's empty. She makes a beeline for the living room. The TV is off, and Abbie is nowhere to be found.

"Abbie?" she calls out, in panic. She doesn't get an answer. She heads back to her room, to find her phone. She stops at the bedside table, and grabs the phone. She hears something, someone. She sets the phone back down. She tiptoes to the closet. She pushes the door open. She flips on the light, and steps inside. She finds Abbie sitting on the floor of the closet, behind some clothes. She stops in front of the little girl, and squats down.

"Why are you crying?"

"I had a bad dream."

"Why are you in the closet? You could have woken me up."

"I dreamt that someone was after me."

Jane pulls her into a hug. "Abbie, no one is coming after you."

"They were trying to take me away from you."

Jane wipes the tears off Abbie's cheeks, with her hand. "Listen to me," she looks her right in the eyes, "I am going to do everything I can, to keep you safe," Jane promises.

"But are you going to keep me?"

"Abbie, I am going to do whatever it takes, to keep you with me. Ok?"

Abbie nods, and sniffles. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Ok," Abbie nods.

Jane leads her out of the closet. She flips the light off, on her way out.

"I'm hungry," Abbie admits, as she exits the closet.

"What are you hungry for?"

"I don't know," Abbie shrugs.

"Why don't we go out for lunch? I have a couple of errands to take care of, anyway."

"Ok," Abbie almost smiles.

Jane finds herself staring at the little girl, across the table, as her lunch sits in front of her. She watches her spitting image wolf down her french fries.

"Why are you staring at me?" Abbie asks, without looking up from her plate.

"Sorry. I was just thinking."

"Thinking, what?" Abbie inquires, looking up.

"Nothing," Jane shakes her head.

"That I look a lot like you?" Abbie guesses.

"Yes," Jane nods, knowing that she is about to open the floodgates.

"Why do I look so much like you?"

"I..." Jane is unable to come up with a good answer.

"Jane, why do I look like you? I didn't look like my parents."

"I know," Jane admits.

"Will my brother look like me, or like them?"

"Probably you," Jane reveals.

"I don't understand."

"Sometimes kids don't look like their parents," Jane admits.

"If they're adopted," Abbie replies, "Was I adopted?"

"No," Jane shakes her head.

"So why don't I look like them? I look like you?"

"I don't think that this is a good place to discuss this," Jane responds.

"Fine," Abbie crosses her arms, over her chest.

Fifteen minutes later Abbie climbs into the back seat of Jane's car. She buckles herself, as Jane puts the key into the ignition. Jane turns the radio on, as she pulls out of her parking space.

"I'm not done talking about this," Abbie informs her.

Jane flips the radio off, "Ok."

"Why do I look like you?"

"You know that your brother is being carried by a surrogate?"

"Yes," Abbie confirms.

"Do you know what a surrogate is?"

"Someone who carries a baby, that isn't theirs."

"Most of the time."

"So?"

"Your parents tried really hard to have you. Sometimes, people need extra help."

"What does that mean?"

"Sometimes people have to see a special doctor."

"Ok."

"And, sometimes he tells them bad news."

"Like what?"

"That they can't have kids, on their own."

"Then how did I get here?"

"Abbie it's hard for me to explain."

"Why?"

"Because, you're six. You're not old enough to understand."

"Understand what?"

"Where babies come from," Jane answers.

"Find someone who can make me understand."

Ten minutes later Jane finds herself in Maura's office. Maura comes in, behind them.

"You called me?" Maura asks.

"Yes," Jane answers.

"What do you need?"

"Help. Abbie has some questions, and I don't know how to answer them," she admits.

"I am not a psychologist."

"Abbie," Jane looks at Abbie, "Maybe you can explain."


	20. Jurisdiction

"Where do babies come from?"

Maura looks at the little girl, and then to Jane.

"And," Abbie adds, "Why do I look like her?"

"Jane, I don't think that she's ready to hear this."

"So what do you propose that I do?"

"Wait," Maura answers.

"Wait, until what?"

"Until you have her," Maura replies, "When will that be? Do you know?"

"I filed, this morning."

"Jane I don't think that this is something you need to discuss, with her."

"Please stop talking about me, like I'm not here," Abbie insists.

"Sorry," Maura apologizes.

"Just tell me, why do I look like Jane?"

"Maura, just tell her."

"I can't," Maura argues.

Jane shakes her head, "Why not?"

"Because I do not know how to. She's six. I don't know how to bring the information to her level, so that she'll understand."

"Fine," Jane huffs, "You can go."

Maura stomps out of her office. Abbie collapses into one of Maura's chairs.

"Are you ever going to tell me?" Abbie asks.

"Yes," Jane nods, moving in front of Abbie's chair. She squats down, to her level, and looks her in the eyes.

"Ok."

"Babies start out as little eggs," Jane starts.

"Like chickens?"

"Sort of."

"Ok."

"Then some stuff gets added to the egg, from the dad. It stays inside the mom for a while, and then it comes out as a baby."

"Ok," Abbie nods.

"But sometimes, there is something wrong with the mom's eggs."

"And?"

"And so they use someone else's."

"So, it's like a chicken sitting on someone else's egg."

"Yes," Jane nods.

"I don't think that I understand."

"Your parents used an egg from someone else, to make you. Then they put you inside of your mom."

"And I came out looking like you?"

"Yes," Jane nods.

"Why?"

"I..." Jane pauses, trying to figure out the best way to explain the situation.

"They used your egg?" Abbie questions.

"Yes."

"So what does that mean? They weren't really my mom, and dad?"

"Of course they were."

"But, I really belong to you?"

"Abbie their names are on your birth certificate. They are, were, your parents."

"Are you my mother?"

Jane says nothing.

"You're my real mom?"

"I," Jane struggles to answer.

"They used your egg?"

"Yes," Jane confirms.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I am responsible for half of your DNA."

"Jane?"

"Yes?"

"What's going to happen to my brother?"

Jane shrugs, "I don't know."

"Am I going to get to see him, after he's born?"

"I don't know."

"Where will he go? Who will take him?"

"I..."

Abbie cuts her off, "Is he yours, too?"

"Abbie..."

"Are you going to get him, too?"

"Abbie, I am going to try to get him, too."

"Can we go now?"

"Yes," Jane nods.

The car ride home is completely silent. Jane finds herself emotionally exhausted, when she gets home. She's barely been home ten minutes, when the phone rings. She sits next to Abbie, on the couch, as she watches TV. Jane slides off the couch, and goes into her bedroom, to take the call.

"Rizzoli," she answers.

"Hi, Jane, this is Mindy."

"Hi."

"They are fast-tracking your hearing."

"What does that mean?"

"They will be doing an investigation this week. Your court hearing will be on Friday."

"Friday?"

"Yes."

"Why so soon?"

"We want to get Abbie placed."

"Why?"

"It is difficult to get special needs children placed."

"Special needs?"

"With her history..."

"Her history? Are there medical issues that I am not aware of?"

"No. But I have to be frank with you, I have tried my hardest to get her placed in another home. No one wants her."

"Why?"

"They are afraid that she won't adjust well."

"I see. Is my occupation going to be a problem?"

"It has the potential to be, but since you are technically her closest living relative, I don't think that it will be."

"And what about the baby?"

"I will have to get back to you on that. I am not sure that I even have jurisdiction, on that one."


	21. New

She opens her eyes, and looks around the room. Light is pouring in through the curtain-less, windows. She stares at the bedroom full of boxes, mostly untouched. She hears the sound of footsteps making contact with the wood flooring, as they walk down the hallway, towards her. She stares at the doorway, waiting for a figure to appear.

Abbie stops in the doorway, and smiles. Jane lies in an unmade bed with a pillow, and a sheet. She wears a pair of blue pajama pants and a bright orange t-shirt she had forgotten about owning.

Jane looks at the doe-eyed girl in the doorway. Her dark locks rest on her shoulders. Her hair looks as if it hasn't been brushed in a week, or that she wrestled with a bear in her sleep. She wears a grey BPD t-shirt that comes down past her knees.

"What are you doing up, so early?"

"The sun was in my eyes," Abbie explains.

"I guess we should probably unpack all of these boxes, shouldn't we?"

"We've already been here a week."

"I know."

Abbie enters the room, and takes a seat on the bed, next to Jane. She looks at Jane and asks, "Are you going to work today?"

"No."

"What if they call, and..."

"No. I promised that we would get everything unpacked today."

"You promised that last Saturday, too."

"I know."

"I don't have very much stuff to unpack," Abbie reminds her.

"Abbie?"

"Huh?"

"I can get your stuff back, if you would like."

"I want new stuff."

"Are you sure?"

"Uh huh," she nods.

"We should probably get started."

"Should we get dressed first?"

"Let's stay in out pajamas all day."

You don't know where our clothes are, do you?"

"In there," Jane points to a single, open box in the middle of the floor.

"There's more."

"Let's get started."

Several hours later there are curtains on all of the windows, and most of the boxes are unpacked. Finally both of them have managed to get dressed. Jane is putting dishes in the cabinets as Abbie unpacks DVD's, and puts them on the shelf below the TV. Jane's phone begins buzzing on the island, behind where she's standing. Abbie shoots her a look, which she ignores, as she answers her phone.

"Rizzoli," she answers out of habit, "Yes. Ok, when? Now? Yeah, we'll be there." She hangs up the phone, and looks at the dark haired girl, standing in her living room.

"Work?" Abbie questions.

Jane smiles, and shakes her head, "Nope."

"You said that you would be right there."

"Come on, hurry up, we've got to go," she insists grabbing Abbie by the hand, and dragging her towards the hallway.

"Go? Where?"

"To the airport."

"Where are we going?"

"You know what, forget about packing, we'll buy stuff when we get there."

"Where?"

"Ohio."

"Ohio?" Abbie furrows her brow, failing to understand the significance.

"To meet your brother."

"Meet my brother? I don't have a brother," Abbie reminds her.

"August. August is coming."

"Is he coming home with us?"

"I don't know, but we get to meet him."

"I don't want to go," Abbie admits, avoiding eye contact.

"It will be fun. Just you, and me, and we can stay in a hotel, and order room service. And then, we can go to the hospital, and meet your brother."

"No," she shakes her head.

"No?"

"I just want to stay here."

"Abbie, I am going to Ohio."

"I'm not."

"Abbie you have to come with me."

"I want to stay," she whines.

"Stay? Why? Are you afraid of flying?"

"No," she shakes her head.

"What are you afraid of."

"Nothing," she lies.

"Are you afraid that I am..."

"No," she stomps away. She reaches her room, and slams the door.

"Abbie talk to me, please," Jane begs, as she runs her fingers through her hair, in frustration.

"Go away."

"Abbie, I can understand that you don't want to share me. That is ok. I had two brothers, and sometimes, I just wished that I could have some time alone, with my mother, because, let's face it, brothers are annoying."

"No, they're not," she screams from the other side of the door.

Jane opens the door. Abbie takes a seat on the end of her bed. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I know that you loved your brothers. We are not replacing them, if that is what you think."

"It's not."

"Then why don't you want to go?"

"I just want to stay."

"At home?"

"Can I go to Angela's?"

"Abbie, talk to me," Jane begs.

"What if he doesn't get to come home with us? What if we never get to see him again?"

"That's not going to happen," Jane insists.

"It could."

"Abbie."

"Please, just let me stay with Angela."

Jane nods, "Ok."


	22. Not Alone

Maura opens the door. She finds Jane, and Abbie standing on the other side. She smiles.

"Come in," she insists.

"I can't stay. I'm just dropping her off. Where is Ma?"

"She's in the kitchen. Did she know that you were coming? She didn't say anything."

"I sent her a text message, and I left her a voicemail," Jane answers stepping inside.

They make their way into the kitchen. Angela looks up from the sauce that she's stirring. She smiles.

"What are the two of you doing here?"

"You didn't get my message?" Jane questions.

"What message?"

"I left you a voicemail, and I sent you a text message."

"My phone is in the car, charging."

"Ma! How many times have I told you not to leave your phone in the car?"

"Why does she have a bag? Are the two of you going somewhere?"

"I am," Jane answers.

"What do you mean?"

Jane looks at Abbie, "You need to ask her."

"But...""I am not going to ask her for you."

Abbie looks up at Angela, "Can I stay with you?" she asks.

"Stay with me?" Angela's eyes move to Jane, "For how long? Where are you going? Jane I thought that we agreed you don't need to work every minute of every day. I mean..."

Jane cuts her off, "I'm not going to work. I am going to Ohio."

"Ohio? What is in Ohio?" Angela questions.

"The baby."

"The baby? What baby?" Angela asks.

Jane shakes her head, in annoyance, "August."

"Oh, the baby. He's coming?"

"Yes, my flight leaves in..." she pauses to look at her watch, "less than an hour. Abbie refuses to come with me. She says that she wants to stay with you."

"Is that true?" Angela looks at Abbie.

"Yes," she smiles.

"Of course you can stay with me."

"Abbie, I've got to go," Jane informs her. She moves over to her, and hugs her. She kisses her forehead, "Goodbye, I love you," Jane reminds her.

"Bye," Abbie waves at her, signaling for her to leave.

Jane heads for the door. Maura grabs her purse.

"Where are you going?"

"You can't go by yourself. You need moral support. I am going with you."

"I'll be fine. You should stay here, and keep an eye on them. They might burn your house down, if you don't watch them closely."

"What's going on?"

"With what?"

"Abbie?"

"She's angry with me. She hates that I leave her. She hates when I stay with her. She hates everything I do."

"She was so attached to you. What happened?"

"Now she's attached to my mother. She barely speaks to me."

"What happened?"

"I broke a promise to her."

"She'll get over it."

"I hope so."

"We should get going."

"Maura, you don't have to go with me."

"You shouldn't go alone."

"I'm not."

"You're not?"

"No, Frost is meeting me at the airport."

"Really? You asked Frost to go?"

"Maura I don't have time to explain."

"Fine, go."

"Maura don't look hurt, you don't understand."

"You're going to miss your flight," Maura replies, coldly.

Jane leaves, and heads for the airport. She flashes her badge to get through security. She has all of her belongings in a backpack, so she quickly makes it to her gate. She finds Frost waiting for her. He looks at his watch, and then looks at her.

"They start boarding in ten minutes, cutting close, aren't you?"

"Don't make me regret asking you to come with me."

"I'm sorry. What was the hold up?"

"Abbie, and then my mother, and then Maura."

"I told you that she would be angry."

"I know."

"Can I ask you something?" Jane nods.

"Why did you ask me to come with you? I thought that you would ask Maura, or your mother, or even Korsak, why me?"

"If I could answer that, I would."

"Jane?"

"Hm?"

"Are you ok?"

"You're kidding me, right? In five weeks, I found that I have a daughter. I have moved out of the same place I've lived for ten years, into a three-bedroom. I work half the hours I used to, because I now have permanent custody, of the biological child, I didn't know existed. And now, on top of all of that, I am about ready to have a second biological child. All, because of one stupid decision when I was in college. I am not alright. The fact that I can even get out of bed, in the morning, is a miracle."

"I'm sorry I asked."

"It's ok. The reason I brought you, is because, Maura, and my mother, they are overly emotional. You are calm, and rational. I need someone who can just be there..."

"And not say a word?" he finishes her sentence.

"Exactly."

"Well, then I'm your guy."

"My head is spinning, I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"That's probably because you're in Boston, and some woman, in Ohio is getting ready to give birth to your child, and you're afraid that you'll miss it."


	23. August

5 hours later: Jane finds herself petrified, as she watches an OB/GYN deliver a baby, her baby. Frost waits outside the delivery room. Jane watches as the baby boy comes into the world. The hold him up, for everyone to see, and then put him on the surrogate's chest. Jane finds herself being pulled into the chaos by one of the nurses. She stares at the wailing baby.

"Do you want to cut the cord?" the nurse asks.

Jane stares at her in utter shock. The surrogate looks at her, as she stares at the slimy baby boy. "Go ahead," the surrogate tells her.

She nods, and clips the umbilical cord. They whisk the baby away, and Jane steps out of the room, into the hallway. She finds Frost, sitting in the waiting room.

"Jane?" he raises an eyebrow as she sinks into the seat next to him.

"Huh?"

"How is he?"

"Ok."

"How was it?"

"Horrifying."

"Is he ok?"

She shrugs, "I don't know."

"So, now what?"

She gets out of her seat.

"Where are you going?"

"The nursery," she answers.

After an hour of waiting, she is finally able to see the baby. They wheel him into the surrogate's room. Jane knocks on the door, as the nurse leaves.

"Come in," the surrogate calls.

Jane steps into the room. She looks at the surrogate, who can't be more that twenty-four, or five.

"I'm Kelly, by the way," the girl smiles.

"Jane," she reveals, as she focuses on the baby, in the bassinet.

"Go ahead, you can hold him, he won't bite."

"Are you sure."

"Jane, maybe you should sit down for a minute."

"I'm fine."

"We should talk."

"Ok," Jane takes a seat, next to the bed.

"I am twenty four. I am in grad-school. I have a four year old daughter, Chloe, she was an unexpected blessing. I am a single mom, trying to raise my daughter, and get through school. This paid for me to finish school. I love my daughter, buy I don't need anymore unexpected blessings, right now. He's precious, and gorgeous, but I don't want to keep him. That was never part of the plan."

"Oh."

"There is something else you should know."

"What's that?"

"Mrs. Gabriel, was going to leave her husband."

"Oh."

"And, she was planning to, before they decided to have this child."

"Ok?"

"She, and I spent hours on the phone. We talked at least once a week. She realized that she wanted a family, but not with her husband."

"She had a lover, we know he was the father of her daughter."

"She knew that her marriage was falling apart."

"So why did she want to have a child with him? She had to know it wasn't going to fix things."

"She didn't want to have a child with him."

"But she did."

"She wanted him to provide the money for her to have another child."

"I'm not sure what you're telling me."

"She didn't love her husband..."

"From what I've heard the only person she loved was herself."

"Her best friend in high school was a young man by the name of August."

"She wanted to name the baby after him?"

"They lost touch after they graduated. He moved to Boston a couple of years ago. She was going to leave Jim for him."

"Why didn't she?"

"She was waiting for the right time."

"But then she was murdered?"

"August died in a car accident."

"Oh."

"Why was she having another baby, with her husband, if she was going to leave him?"

"She wasn't. He doesn't belong to her husband. He belongs to August. She used his sperm."

"Why?"

"She was in love."

"Why did you agree to have him, with all this drama?"

"I agreed to have a baby for a married couple, who wanted to give their daughter a sibling. That is what I agreed to. I didn't learn all of the other sordid details, until after I was already pregnant. I was three months pregnant, when I found all of this out."

"How do we know that any of this is true?"

"We don't, really."

"Wow."

"Clearly this is more than any of us bargained for."

"Yeah."

Kelly points to the bassinet, "You should hold him."

Jane nods, and vacates her seat. She scoops the baby out of the bassinet, and into her arms. He sleeps peacefully. She pulls his cap off, to find a head full of wavy, black hair.

"Nine pounds six ounces. He's going to be a linebacker, or a cop," Kelly comments.

There is a knock on the door. Jane looks up, and finds Frost standing in the doorway.

"Come in."

He steps into the room. He makes his way over to her.

"Do you want to hold him?" she questions.

He looks at her, and then at the sleeping infant. He nods. She places the sleepy baby into her partner's arms. She pulls the phone out of her pocket, and snaps a picture. She sends it to Maura.


	24. Rough Night

She lies in her bed, with a book in hand. The lamp, sitting on the bedside stand, illuminates the room. She hears small footsteps approaching her. She puts the book down, and looks up. She finds a sleepy little girl coming her way. She glances at the clock, and scoots over in the bed. She pats the seat next to her.

"What are you doing up, so late?" she inquires, as Abbie climbs into the bed.

"I couldn't sleep," she admits, as Maura tucks stray pieces of hair behind her ear.

"And you came all the way up here?"

"I didn't want to wake her up," Abbie admits.

"I'm still up. You can talk to me, if you would like, if there is something on your mind."

"Is she going to bring him home? Is he going to be ours?"

"I don't know. I guess that we will have to wait and see."

"This is weird."

"What?" Maura tries to clarify.

"This family. We're not really a family, but..."

"Yes we are," Maura argues.

"Then explain it to me. How does it work? Where does everyone belong?"

"Angela, is the matriarch, the head of the family. And then there is..."

"Jane is her daughter. Tommy, and Frankie, they're her sons. Where do I fit? Where do you fit?"

"You are Jane's daughter."

"Am I supposed to call her mom?"

"You are supposed to call her whatever you want to call her."

"And what are you?"

"I am like Jane's adopted sister."

"You are adopted."

"This is the only family, I have ever really belonged to."

"What does that make you, to me?"

"Your aunt, I guess."

"Have you heard from Jane?"

"She sent me a text message a little while ago."

"Can I see?"

Maura nods, and whips out her phone. She holds it out, for Abbie to see. She smiles, and narrates.

"That is August."

"Do you think that everything is ok?"

"Abbie, everything is fine. They will be home before you know it."

"What if something happens?"

"Nothing will happen. I promise."

"But..."

"Abbie, lie down, and go to sleep."

She pushes the door of the hotel room open. He collapses on the bed, she makes a bee line for the shower. Less than five minutes later she comes out of the bathroom, with wet hair, and a clean pair of pajama's on. Frost lies on the center of the King sized bed. She climbs on the bed, and elbows him.

"Shove over."

"I'm going to take a shower, you better not be hogging the bed when I get back," he warns.

"This is your fault," she argues.

"How is this my fault? You are the one who made us come here. That is your kid," he adds.

She throws a pillow at his head, as he moves towards the bathroom. He ducks, and closes the door behind himself. When he returns from his shower. Jane is in the middle of the only bed. He smiles a devilish grin, and takes off running. He jumps on top of the bed, as she snores.

Her eyes pop open. She finds Frost, with a leg on either side of her. She looks at his feet, and then shakes her head.

"What are you, twelve?"

"Move over," he tells her.

"I am comfortable."

"I don't care. Move over."

"Make me," she argues, knowing that she'll regret it.

He drops to his knees, pinning her to the bed. He places a hand next to either of her shoulders.

"Jane I am warning you. I had a long day, my back is killing me, and I don't feel like putting up with your bullshit. I will lay down, right here, on top of you. It won't bother me one bit," he tells her.

She looks at him, but says nothing. He waits for her to respond. He suddenly realizes how close his face is to hers. He quickly notices how close they are to one another.

Out of sheer exhaustion, and a hint of stupidity, she leans up, and kisses him, to get him to back off. This backfires. Instead of jolting them into reality, and pulling them apart, it pulls them closer together.

The ringing phone brings her into consciousness, early the next morning. She looks at the clock and groans. She looks at the phone, and tosses it across the room. She closes her eyes, in attempt to go back to sleep. Until she comes to the realization that the only thing she's wearing is a tangled sheet.

Her eyes pop back open. She takes a deep breath. She lies on her stomach. She realizes that there is an arm resting on her back, with a hand lying on her shoulder. She turns her head, without turning her body. She finds Frost lying next to her. A sheet covers him from his waist to his knees. She begins to panic.

She rolls over, away from him, and pulls the sheet with her. She wraps it around her. She collects her clothes from the floor, like evidence from a crime scene. She finds the duvet cover on the floor, and tosses it back on the bed, to cover up her partner. She grabs her clothes, and her sheet, and heads into the bathroom.

She leaves the bathroom door cracked, and climbs into the shower. She shakes her head, as the warm water runs over her.

"Shit! This cannot be happening. Not now, not here, not ever."

Then another voice joins the conversation.

"Jane?"

She doesn't answer.

He looks around the room. His eyes widen in panic. He sees his boxers on the floor. He hears the shower running.

"Jane?"

He hears the shower turn off. She comes out, with a towel on. She shakes her head.

"Not a word," she warns.

"Agreed," he nods.

"Ever," she adds.

"Done."


	25. Coming Home

Jane stares at her cup of coffee. She avoids Maura's glance.

"You have to talk, eventually," Maura reminds her.

"I don't want to talk. I just want to sleep."

"I know."

"How can this be happening? How can this be my life?"

"What do you mean?"

"Maura I have lived on my own since I was eighteen. Now all of a sudden I have a six year old daughter."

"I know."

"And for the first time, in... too long, I have to live with a boy."

"A baby boy, your boy. He's sweet."

"If you think he's so sweet, then you get the next dirty diaper."

"I don't know about that."

"Maura, I don't know how to do this."

"You'll figure it out."

"I know how to be a cop. I am good at being a cop. I don't know how to be anyone's mother."

"You're going to have to learn, and quickly, because you have two kids, now."

"I know, and it scares the Hell out of me. Maura..."

"Just take it one step at a time."

"That is easy for you to say. You aren't in my position."

"I have no idea what it's like to be you. I admit that, but I would gladly trade you places. My whole life, all I ever wanted was a family of my own."

"My whole life, all I ever wanted, was a gun, and a badge."

"You have to figure out how to want something else, something more."

"You know, I thought the little one would scare me more. He's small, and new, and fragile. But... he doesn't."

"You know nothing about babies."

"He doesn't ask me questions. He just eats, and sleeps, and poops. He's easy. She's complicated."

"She's your daughter, what did you expect?"

"That she would be less like me. That nurture means more than nature."

"Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't."

"Maura, she scares me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because she's too much like me. She's complicated, and she doesn't talk."

"And all you want to do is grab her by the shoulders, and shake her, and make her talk? I know, I've been there."

"I'm not that bad."

"You don't let people in. She sees that."

"People are morons."

"Jane, you have to learn how to change."

"Why?"

"Because like it, or not, your life is changing."

"And I don't know if I can. I am afraid that everything is going to change, but me."

"Why?"

"I like things the way they were. I like eighty hour work weeks, and chasing down perpetrators. I like crappy coffee, and warm beer. I liked my life."

"You're scared?"

"I don't know how to be a parent. It's complicated, and messy, and I'm not any good at it."

"You will learn."

"I just want to be at work."

"Jane," Maura scolds her.

"I know what I'm doing there. I am not nurturing," she argues.

Maura smiles, "You are a protector. It's your job to protect them."

"I can't protect them from the whole world, no matter how hard I try. I don't think that I can do this on my own. There are two of them, and one of me."

"No one said that you have to do this on your own."

"I don't see anyone jumping at the chance."

"Your mother loves this. I think she has lived her entire life waiting for her chance to be a grandmother."

"I'm not like her. I don't want to be like her. My mother gave up everything, for us. She gave up every part of who she was, to raise us."

"Did you ever think, that she wanted to?"

Jane furrows her brow. Before she can answer footsteps interrupt. They stop in front of Jane. The dark haired little girl folds her arms over her chest.

"You're not supposed to sit on the counter."

"You're supposed to be sleeping."

"I'm done."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Get down."

"Why?"

"Please."

"Ok," Jane slides off the counter, "Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Then why are you standing there, staring at me?"

"I missed you," Abbie answers.

"Oh," it hits her. Jane reaches down, and lifts Abbie off the ground. She hoists her onto her hip, and squeezes her close to her body. She kisses her forehead.

"I missed you more," she counters.

Abbie wipes the slobbers from her face, "You slobbered all over me."

"It's my job."

"Put me down," Abbie squirms.

"Nope. I am going to hold you forever. I want you to be just like this, forever."

Abbie squirms more, "Down, please."

Jane puts her on the ground. Abbie runs for her room. She slams the door behind her.

"And in three seconds the baby will be awake too, because she slammed the door," Jane guesses.

They don't hear the baby crying. Maura looks at Jane, who looks down the hallway, just waiting.

"Maybe she wanted to," Maura reminds her.

Jane stares down the hallway, with a smile on her face, as she leans against the counter.

"Yeah, maybe she did."


	26. Tired

Maura picks up the phone. She pulls it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Are you still awake?"

"It's only ten o'clock," Maura reminds her.

"I've been up since five."

"Is everything ok?"

"It's fine. I was just calling to check in."

"Everything is fine."

"How is Abbie?"

"She is sound asleep."

"Are you sure, because sometimes she just plays opossum."

"She's in my bed."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Why is she in your bed?"

"She snuck out of your mother's bed, again."

"Is she ok?"

"She's fine. She misses you. She has a million questions."

"I just got home, I can come and get her."

"No, don't. You can pick her up in the morning. Try to get some rest."

"You're funny. Really funny."

"Why is that funny?"

Jane looks around the room. She sits on the couch, in her living room. Frost sits on the floor attempting to put something together. An empty carseat sits next to Jane. A little boy rests in her arms, in a green blanket.

"This kid doesn't sleep. He's been wide awake, since we got in the car, in Ohio."

"You drove?"

"To the airport. Now we're sitting at the house. He's wide awake."

"Is he fussy?"

"No, he's just wide awake."

"Just pat him, he'll go to sleep."

"Every time I touch him, he wakes up."

"Has Frost tried?"

"I don't know what you've heard, but he's no baby whisperer. He makes him cry."

"Try to get some sleep. Abbie really wants to see you."

"I know. Maura, you should see him. He's huge."

"Tomorrow."

"Night."

"Night," she hangs up.

Frost looks at Jane. He shakes his head.

"Can I go home now?"

"Nope. You're on baby duty."

"No. I get to go home."

"Fine. I'll figure it out, I'm sure. The hospital sent home idiot proof instructions, right?"

"Just put him in his bed, and go to sleep."

"He's wide awake."

"Allow me," he offers.

She shakes her head, and gives him the baby. He quickly changes his diaper, and swaddles him back up. He gives him back to Jane, half asleep.

Jane pats him, until he falls asleep. She places him in the basinet, next to her bed. She skips the shower, even though she's covered in airplane germs, and hops into some pajamas. Frost finds a place on the couch.

Eight AM comes bright and early. After countless late night feedings, and diapers, Frost's sleep is finally interrupted by someone knocking on the door. He opens the door, and finds Angela, and Abbie. Abbie holds onto Angela, half asleep.

"We couldn't wait, anymore." Angela reveals.

"They're in there," he points, with a yawn, returning to the couch.

They make their way into Jane's room. Abbie climbs into bed with her. Angela scoops the sleeping baby out of her arms.

"Hello handsome."

"Take him," Jane offers.

"You two get some rest, I've got him."

"Him. He has a name," Jane reveals.

"August," Abbie yawns, as she gets comfortable.

"I am sure that we will be fine. And, I'm going to send Frost home, he looks exhausted."

"UH huh," Jane responds, pulling covers over her head, as Angela closes the bedroom door, as she leaves with the baby.

Jane looks at the pair of eyes under the covers, with her. She kisses her forehead.

"Was I rude to her?"

Abbie shakes her head, "She woke me up at five."

"Come here, I missed you," Jane reaches for her.

She folds the cover back over, so their heads are sticking out. She kisses her several times.

"Love you. I missed you."

"Me too," Abbie grins.

"Sleep, please."

"Me first," she argues.

Hours later, when Jane wakes up, Maura is standing over the bed, snapping a picture. Jane rubs her eyes, and looks at the scene. To the far right, Angela lies. Abbie is next to her. Between Abbie, and Jane, is baby August.

"Delete that," Jane warns.

"How was your trip?"

Jane smiles, she points to the sleeping baby, in her bed, "I got this really cool, eating, pooping, souvenir."

"I know, I saw him."

"In pictures."

"I don't want to disturb him."

"Good point. We'll talk in the kitchen."

"I made coffee," Maura reveals.

"You are my favorite, don't tell the others," she teases, as they leave the room.

They step into the kitchen, and Maura pours Jane a cup of coffee. She hands it to Jane, who sits on the kitchen counter.

"How was your trip."

"Miserable. The weather was terrible. The room smelled like old socks. I am glad that it is over with."

"So you're keeping him?"

"Yup."

"How does that work?"

"No clue," she shrugs.


	27. Chunk

_A/N: Most of you have already read this. As someone pointed out, chap 26 and 27 were in reverse order. I apologize. It may make more sense now that I've fixed that. Thanks, enjoy!_

* * *

><p>The following morning Jane wakes up, to Abbie climbing on top of her. She looks over, and finds August sleeping in his basinet. She looks at the clock.<p>

"Abs, get off of me."

"School! I have to go to school."

"Ok. We can handle that."

"What are we going to do with the baby?"

"Take him with us."

"Are we going to walk?"

"We walk every day, don't we?"

"Yeah."

"Go get your clothes on, and get your hairbrush."

"What are you going to do?"

"Change him."

"Ok," Abbie nods.

A few minutes later Jane is turning on the coffee pot, with the baby in her arms. Abbie comes bounding in, when someone knocks on the door. Jane grabs a bowl, and reaches for the cereal.

"Abbie can you open the door?" Jane asks.

"What if it's a stranger?"

Jane points to the gun on the counter.

"You shouldn't leave that out, you know. It's not safe."

"It's not loaded," Jane tells her.

"Are you sure?"

"The clip is right now," Jane points.

There is another knock.

"Hello?" a voice from the other side calls out.

"Abbie open it, please," Jane begs.

Abbie opens the door. Maura steps in. She pushes a stroller in with her. She closes the door behind her.

"Good morning. I brought a present."

"Hair, or baby?" Jane questions, as she pours milk into the cereal bowl.

"What?"

"Abbie come on," Jane points to the bowl of coco puffs.

"Coming," Abbie moves towards the table.

"Hair, or baby?" Jane questions.

"I don't understand," Maura admits.

Jane points, to Abbie's head, "Hair, or baby?"

"I'll do the hair," Maura answers.

"Ok, I'll feed monster boy," she grabs a bottle.

Maura takes the hair brush, and quickly braids Abbie's hair, as she eats her coco puffs. Jane watches closely as she feeds August.

"How did you do that?" Jane questions.

"Do what?" Maura questions.

"Do her hair without making her cry, or squirm."

"She's a little girl, not a perp," Maura answers.

"Right."

"Seven thirty," Maura points out.

"Ok, Abbie, go brush your teeth, and get your coat on."

"Ok," she scampers off.

Jane puts the bowl in the sink. She burps the baby, and places the empty bottle inside. She goes over to the couch, and grabs his coat. She zips him inside. Maura scoops him off the couch.

"Hello hungry boy, how are you?"

He closes his eyes. Jane hands her a pacifier.

"What do I need this for?"

"Wait for it," Jane answers.

He opens his eyes, and furrows his brow. Maura sticks the pacifier in his mouth. Abbie comes back into the room with her coat on.

"Backpack?" Jane questions.

"By the door," Abbie answers.

"Shoes?"

Abbie looks around the room. She finds one next to the couch. Without a single word Jane reaches her hand under the couch cushion. She pulls out a shoe, and waves it in the air. Abbie ties her shoes, as Jane grabs her coat. Maura slips August into the stroller. They head out.

Jane pushes the stroller down the sidewalk. Abbie holds on to the side. They reach the school in ten minutes. Abbie heads for the door. Jane grabs her hand.

"Wait."

"What?" Abbie turns around.

"You're forgetting something."

"I did my homework. And... lunch..."

"I put lunch money in the front pocket."

"Hamburgers?"

"Yup."

"Can I go? I don't want to be late."

"One more thing."

"What?"

Jane points to her cheek. Abbie smooches her cheek. Jane gives her a big sloppy kiss.

"Love you, have a good day."

"Bye. See you," she waves her off, as she disappears inside.

Maura looks at Jane. Jane smiles, as she peeks under the blanket covering the stroller. She covers August back up, and turns to Maura.

"Coffee?" Maura questions.

"Yes."

"How was your night?"

"Long. He eats round the clock."

"He's..."

"A chunk?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks for the stroller. Do I want..."

"Nope," Maura answers, quickly.

"I'm hungry."

"Let's grab breakfast."

"I can't. I didn't bring a diaper bag."

"So?"

"He'll be hungry in no time."


	28. Eating

Twenty minutes later Jane, and Maura find themselves sitting at a diner. August sits in his carseat, on the booth, next to Jane.

"Are you going to tell me how your trip was?"

"It was fine."

"Just fine? I mean you came home with a baby. I would think that it would be..."

"That was the least of it."

"Really?" Maura raises an eyebrow.

"I mean... it's complicated."

"When did you know that he was coming home with you? Was it right away?"

"No. It was the next morning."

_She finds herself wondering the halls of the hospital. She finds herself in front of the nursery window. She stares at the baby in front of her. She reads the name tag, and realizes that it's August. The nurse notices her, and comes to the door. _

_"Hi," she smiles, sweetly._

_"Hi. I'm just..."_

_"Are you Jane?"_

_"I am. Does it matter?"_

_"Can you show me ID?"_

_"I guess," she furrows her brow. She flashes her badge._

_"Jane Rizzoli. I've been waiting for you."_

_"You have?" she questions. _

_The nurse holds up an ID bracelet. "Here, this is for you."_

_Jane holds out her wrist, "What is this for?"_

_"It basically allows you to take him in and out of the nursery."_

_"Oh."_

_"Would you like to take him?"_

_"Sure," she nods, apprehensively._

_"You can take him to room 212."_

_"212? That isn't the room we were in yesterday."_

_"She went home."_

_"She went home?"_

_"She left an envelope in the drawer under the basinet for you," the nurse tells her._

_Jane wheels August down the hall to room 212. She parks the basinet, and takes a seat. She opens the drawer under the basinet. On top of the diapers is a manila envelope. She pulls out the signed legal documents. Before she care carefully read them, August begins to fuss._

_She stands up, and lifts him out of the basinet. She shhs him, and pats his bottom._

_"In case you hadn't noticed I don't really know what I'm doing," she admits._

_He stops fussing at the sound of her voice. She notices the bottle sitting in the basinet. She grabs it, and gives it to him. She takes a seat. She watches him, as she sucks down the bottle._

_"You are handsome," she comments._

Maura looks Jane. Jane looks at August.

"So is he yours, legally?"

"Yes."

"That's it?"

"All of the paperwork is taken care of."

"What did Frost think of him?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"We had to share a hotel room."

"And?"

"There was only one bed."

"So it was uncomfortable."

"To say the least," Jane admits, as the waitress brings their food.

Maura digs in. Jane takes a sip of her coffee, her guilty conscience, and lack of sleep catching up with her. She looks at the baby, and then at her plate. She doesn't want to reveal her secret. But at the same time, she doesn't want to keep it all to herself, either, knowing it will eat at her, until she can't take it, anymore. She swallows hard, and makes sure to catch Maura between bites.

"I may have slept with him."

Maura's eyes flit upwards. She swallows the bite of food, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Slept with who?"

"My partner."

"Frost?"

"Yes."

"You slept in the same bed with him? That's what you meant, right? I mean, I understand, you had a rough day. What choice did you really have? You weren't going to make him sleep on the floor."

"Not what I meant."

"Wait, what? You're kidding, right?"

"I wish."

"You had..."

"Yes," Jane cuts her off.

"So..."

Jane shrugs, "I don't know. I can't even think about it right now. I have too much other stuff on my plate."

"What about Frost?"

"Now things are awkward, which is just what I need."

"Have you talked to him, since?"

"Of course."

"About it?"

"Nope."

"Are you going to."

"No."

"You have to. I mean, what does this mean?"

"It doesn't matter. I can't think about what it means. I have to think about being... everything, to two kids."

"Maybe..."

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I don't want to play house with Frost."

"So you're going to do this alone, for the next eighteen years?"

"I hope that he gets an athletic scholarship."

"I'll make sure..."

"No, you won't. I would never ask for that."

"Jane, you have to..."

"I just have to figure out how to be a single mom, to two kids, and be a cop, who is married to the job. This is..."

"Overwhelming?"

"I'm ready to go back to work. It's a piece of cake compared to this."


	29. Don't Shoot Me Down

She tiptoes down the hallway, to the last room on the right. She pushes the door open, and flips on the lamp. She takes a seat on the bed. She kisses the cheek of the sleeping little girl.

"Come on, time to get up."

"Five more minutes."

"Not today. I have to go to work."

"Please."

"Get up."

"In a minute."

Jane goes over to her closet. She pulls out an outfit, and lays it on the bed. She peels the covers off Abbie.

"Up, now!"

Abbie grumbles, as she leaves the room. She heads back down the hallway. She stops in the next bedroom. She flips on the light. She moves over to the crib, and finds August staring at her.

"Hi, handsome. Time to get up," she tells him.

By the time Jane gets dressed it's almost time for them to go. She looks at her watch, and hollers for Abbie.

"Abbie, come on. We're going to be late."

"Coming," she replies.

Jane fastens August into his carseat. Abbie comes into the living room. Jane grabs the hair brush, and pulls Abbie's hair into a pony tail. She hands her a poptart, and a backpack. Abbie takes a seat on the couch. Jane ties her shoes, as she puts her backpack on.

"Why do you have to go back to work?"

"I have to pay the bills."

"He's not ready," she argues.

"He's a month old. He's fine."

"But who is going to pick me up from school? I have early release today."

"Abigail, we discussed this."

"Why can't you pick me up?"

"Because I have to work. Now, come on, please. I don't want to be late."

"Fine," Abbie stomps out of the room. Jane follows her out. She locks the door behind them.

"Wait."

"Abbie, come on, we have to go," Jane pushes her towards the exit.

"No, we can't."

"Abbie, come on. Don't do this. I love you, and I will see you when I get off work. Please don't make me late."

"No, we can't leave yet."

Jane looks at her watch, "We have to leave now, or we're going to be late," Jane argues, picking Abbie up, carrying her towards the door.

"Wait."

"Abbie, come on."

"Mom!"

Jane stops, dead in her tracks. She looks at Abbie. Jane forgets to breathe, for a second. She takes a deep breath.

"What?"

"We can't leave yet, because you're forgetting something."

"What? I have you, my gun, my badge, my car keys. I'm ready."

"August," she answer.

"Shi...shoot."

She spins around, and puts Abbie down. She returns to the apartment, and grabs August, and his diaper bag. They then head to the car. Jane drops August off at daycare first, and then takes Abbie to school.

"Bye, love you."

"Love you. Have a good day at work."

"See you when I get home," she blows her a kiss.

Jane watches, as Abbie runs into the school. She heads into station. She stops off in the cafeteria, to get a cup of coffee. Angela is waiting on her, when she arrives.

"Did everyone get to their destinations?"

"Yes," Jane confirms.

"Everything went ok?"

"Yes."

"I think that you should take some more time," Angela tells her.

"Ma, just give me the coffee."

"Fine."

"Oh, and don't forget to pick..."

"I know. I have to pick August up from daycare, and Abbie from school. I've got it."

"She's really nervous. She's afraid that you'll forget, so please don't be late."

"Jane, she'll be fine."

"And don't let her eat junk."

"I'm her grandmother."

"And, please, don't let her watch _Paranormal Activity _before bed, you know that it gives her nightmares. I already have to get up a million times a night to feed my bottomless pit, I don't need her up all night too."

"Don't call him that."

"The boy can eat."

"Remind me later, there is something that I want to talk to you about."

"Ok mom, I'll make sure that I pencil that in."

"I'm serious."

"I've got to go."

"Be safe."

"I always am."

"Yeah, well now you have to more reasons."

"I know."

"You're all that they've got."

"I know. You remind me ever single day."

"I shouldn't have to remind you."

"You don't."

"Have a good day at work."

"I will."

"Don't get shot."

"Whatever," she rolls her eyes.


	30. Back To Work

Barry, Frankie, and Vince look up, as she walks into the room. Korsak smiles widely. Jane avoids making eye contact with Frost, in light of recent events, their relationship has been icy. Frankie just shakes his head.

"No applause necessary, let's just get to work," she teases, making her way to her desk. She takes a seat at the desk.

"So, how are the rascals?" Frankie asks.

"You just saw them last night," Jane points out.

"I told bruiser that if he isn't the best linebacker in all of NFL history, I will be disappointed," Frankie explains.

"Four weeks, didn't you want more time?" Korsak questions.

"You're kidding right? That was plenty. Abbie is situated in school. And... August, is happy as long as there is a bottle in his mouth. I impressed myself this morning, when I got out of the house without smelling like spit up. I even remembered to make Abbie's lunch."

"So what time are you leaving, today?"

"Nothing has changed. I have childcare. I am just like any other cop."

"Who happens to be a female detective, with two kids who created an insta-family. Now all you need is a mini-van, and a golden retriever," Barry teases.

"Laugh all you want, but I am the same Jane Rizzoli that I have always been."

"That's nice," the captain walks into the room, "because we've got a case. Nice to have you back, Rizzoli."

Barry is the first one in, and out of the scene. Jane steps into the cabin, and covers her mouth. She shakes her head, and focuses on Maura.

"That smell is even more ripe than my kid's diaper. What is that?" Jane inquires.

"It's a miracle that the whole place didn't burn down. The fire was incredible hot," the fire marshal comments.

Hours later Jane is standing in autopsy, staring at text messages, as Maura begins her exam.

"Are you looking at baby pictures?" Maura questions.

"No."

"You seem pretty into whatever is going on there," Maura points to her phone.

"I am just texting my mother, because I am just realizing that I sent the last container of formula to daycare, and that won't last until tonight. He drinks it by the gallon."

"A gallon? I doubt that."

"Close to it," Jane argues.

"So how are you holding up?" Maura wonders.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, let's see, I almost left August at home today. And as Abbie was walking into school, I realized that she was wearing two different socks, but other than that, I'm fine."

"Rough start to the day."

"Then my coffee tasted like dirt. So I threw it away."

"It'll get better."

"We should get back to work."

Jane puts her phone back in her pocket, and watches, as Maura opens the chest cavity.

"So have you talked to Frost?" Maura questions as she grabs the bone saw.

"Not really."

"Are you going to?"

"He's stopped by, with dinner a couple of times, but... I just don't want to think about it."

"He's trying to be supportive."

"He's my partner."

"You don't have to tell me that," Maura tells her.

"I just wish that my life weren't so complicated. I..."

"This isn't easy for you, I know."

"I didn't expect to be good at this, but I didn't expect it to be so hard either."

"You have a lot on your plate."

"But honestly, the baby is the easy one. As long as I keep him fed, he's happy. Abbie..."

"Is complicated. She's six."

"She called me mom this morning."

"That's odd."

"That she called me mom?"

"No," Maura points look at the hemorrhagic tissue around the soft tissue."

"Beaten?"

"Possibly."

"You know, sometimes, I'll go in her room, in the middle of the night, after I've put August back in bed, and on occasion, I've found her asleep in the closet."

"How is she adjusting to the baby?"

"She likes him. She helps with him."

"But?"

"I still worry about her."

Jane watches in silence as Maura continues her exam. Maura looks up at her, and finds that all color has drained from her face. Without a word, Maura puts her scalpel down, and peels off her gloves. She grabs a stool, and places it next to Jane.

"Have a seat."

Jane takes a seat, and a deep breath.

"Are you ok?" Maura asks.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You don't look fine."

"I'm just a little light headed."

"Have you eaten anything today?"

"No," she realizes.

"Go get something to eat. I can finish up here, and tell you what I find."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Maura nods.

"Ok," Jane agrees.

She stands up, and turns to leave. Maura watches her closely, as she leaves the room. She tries hard to ignore her brain, as it diagnoses her best friend.

Jane hops on the elevator. When the doors open, she finds Frost. She tries to push past him, but his fingers touch her arm, and hold her back.

"Wait. We should talk."

"Not now," she begs.

"Jane, if not now, then when.""I don't know," she shrugs.

"Look, I just want to be your partner."

"Then we don't need to talk about anything, we're on the same page."


	31. Adjusting

By the time she gets home, both kids are asleep. Angela sits on the couch, watching TV. Jane opens the door, and comes in.

"I'm home."

"Shh! I just put him down," Angela warns.

"They're both asleep, already? It's only eight thirty."

"You told me that eight o'clock was bed time."

"It is."

"I followed all of your rules," Angela tells her.

"Thank you."

"Have a seat," Angela pats the seat on the couch, next to her.

Jane takes a seat next to her. She kicks off her shoes, and puts her feet on the coffee table.

"How was your day at work?"

"Long," Jane admits.

"You know, they're only little once."

"I know."

"Are you sure about this?"

"About what?"

"Going back to work so soon."

"I have had plenty of time off," she admits.

"Are you sure about..."

"About what?"

"This. Doing this on your own."

"Ma, I don't see anyone lining up to be a part of this. I can do this on my own."

"But do you want to?"

"It doesn't matter whether I want to, or not, because I am their mother, and I have to."

"You didn't have to. You chose to."

"I am not going to change my mind, just because it's hard."

"It doesn't ever get easy."

"I know."

"This is not how I pictured this, you know."

"It certainly isn't the way that I pictured it."

"I thought that you would be the last one to give me grandchildren."

"Me too."

"I thought that, well, maybe it's better if I don't tell you what I thought."

"It's ok, it doesn't matter now."

"I just figured that you would get..." she trails off, "It's not that important."

"Just tell me."

"That you would get pregnant when you least expected it, by accident."

"Thanks, a lot."

"You're just not a planner."

"So your prediction was an out of wedlock pregnancy?"

"Followed by a shotgun wedding."

"No. That would never happen. I would never get married, because I was pregnant. That's not a good enough reason."

"Then what is?"

"I am just saying, that shouldn't be the reason."

"I don't think we have to worry about you doing any of that, any time soon. I think that the six year old, and the one month old down the hall are pretty good birth control."

"Absolutely. I perfectly happy with just two of them."

"We all say that."

"What?"

"Nothing," Angela shakes her head.

"No, what did you mean?"

"I wanted two kids. I ended up with three."

"Tommy was an accident, wasn't he?"

"He was a surprise."

"You should have skipped that surprise."

"Your brother is..."

"Not perfect."

"I wouldn't take him back."

"I would," Jane jokes.

"No you wouldn't."

"This is..."

"Hard. I know."

"I don't want to come home every night, and find them sleeping."

"You have to work."

"I know."

"Jane, get some rest."

"He eats every two hours, that isn't likely to happen."

"I'm going home. See you tomorrow."

"Drive safe."

Angela leaves. Jane locks the door behind her. She then checks in on Abbie, who is sound asleep, in her bed. Jane heads into the bathroom for a shower. She puts on some pajamas, and heads into her room. She scoops the sleeping baby out of his basinet, and puts him in bed with her. She lies him in the middle of the bed, next to her. She stares at him, in the light that shines from the lamp on the bedside table. He's swaddled in a receiving blanket, sleeping soundly. She kisses his chubby cheeks, and turns off the lamp.

She rolls on to her side, to face him, and closes her eyes, knowing that in an hour he'll be awake again.

He surprises her, by sleeping for the next few hours. He wakes up around midnight. She feeds him, and he goes right back to sleep. She changes him, and puts him in his crib for the night. She checks on Abbie, once again. She finds her lying in her bed, wide awake. Jane takes a seat on the bed, next to her.

"What are you doing up?" she questions.

"I just woke up."

"I missed you today."

"I missed you too."

Jane pushes away the hairs that stick to Abbie's cheek. She kisses her.

"Goodnight."

"Wait," Abbie says, as Jane turns to leave.

"Your nightlight is on," Jane points out.

"Will you stay with me?"

"All night?"

"Just until I fall asleep?"

"Scoot over," she agrees.


	32. Something Out of Nothing

Jane takes a seat across the table from Maura. The waitress asks for their orders. They order their usual lunches. Maura watches as Jane checks her phone.

"You're starting to obsess."

"What are you talking about?"

"You check your phone every five minutes."

"I do not."

"You absolutely do. You've been back to work for two weeks, and I've seen you use that phone more in the last two weeks than you have in the past two years."

"I have to check my phone."

"Why?"

"In case one of them need something."

"Right."

"Did I show you the picture..."

"Of August sleeping last night? Yes. You did. Jane, you're becoming one of those annoying moms, who..."

"I am not."

"How many times have you mentioned them in this conversation?"

"I don't know."

"I think it's hilarious."

"Why?"

"Because you are becoming the person that you vowed not to be."

"What are you talking about?"

"You live by rules, and schedules, and...""I have to, or my life turns into complete chaos."

"So, how are you adjusting?"

"To the fact that I am outnumbered, two to one, every single day of my life? I'm getting used to it."

"So how was August's check up, yesterday?"

"Fine. He now weighs thirteen pounds."

"Man, he likes to eat."

"Pretty much. He's starting to sleep though the night, though."

"Define sleeping through the night."

"He sleeps from ten to six."

"Wow. That is good news."

"Tell me about it. I have never been so exited to sleep in my life."

The waitress brings them their food. Maura begins eating her salad. Jane stares at her burger and fries, in silence. Maura looks up at her, as she slides out of the booth.

"Where are you going?"

Jane doesn't answer, she just leaves.

When she returns, a few moments later she motions for the waitress. She swallows hard, trying not to breathe in.

"You can take this."

"Is there something wrong with it?" the waitress questions.

"I'm just not hungry," she answers.

"Ok," the waitress takes the plate away.

"What was that about?" Maura questions.

"Nothing," Jane lies.

"You never turn down a burger and fries."

"I'm just not feeling it today," she admits.

"What's going on with you?"

"I feel sick."

"Oh. Maybe you should go home."

"I'm sure it's nothing."

"Or it's something, and you just don't want to talk about it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, never mind."

"No, what?"

"You never get sick," Maura points out.

"And?"

"Maybe there is a reason that you are?"

"Yeah, maybe I've got a gastrointestinal..."

"Right," Maura nods.

"That was sarcastic. What do you think I'm not telling you?"

"You don't have to get so defensive."

"Maura, I'm not hiding anything."

"Ok," Maura nods.

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing. Clearly, you don't want to hear it, so I am just going to keep my opinion to myself."

"No, please, enlighten me."

"I am just going to eat my lunch."

"Whatever," Jane rolls her eyes.

"You certainly are cranky today."

"You would be too. August starts sleeping through the night, and Abbie starts having night terrors."

"Have you considered taking her to see a counselor? I know that you..."

"She sees one once a week. She has for the last month."

"Is it helping?'

"No."

"Maybe you should just take a day off, and spend with her."

"I don't know. All I know is that if I don't start getting some sleep, I'm going to start falling asleep on the job. I am so exhausted."

"If you want, I could keep them for a night."

"They're a handful. You would regret making that offer."

"Your mother lives in my guest house, I am sure that it would be fine."

"I don't know."

"It would be good for you."

"Abbie has separation anxiety."

"She's fine with Angela. It would be ok."

"I don't know," Jane shrugs.

"Just think about it."

"Ok," Jane nods.

Jane catches Maura looking at her. Maura quickly breaks eye contact.

"What?" Jane questions "What are you looking at? Do I have something on my shirt? I mean that is completely possible. I changed three times this morning, between Abbie, and August I am lucky to own anything that isn't stained."

"Nothing," Maura lies.


	33. Allegations

"Seriously Maura, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

"Is something on your mind?"

"Is it possible, that you..." Maura trails off.

"That I what?"

"That you could be..." Maura stops.

"That I could be annoyed? Yes, I am getting annoyed."

"Never mind."

"Maura, what?" Jane cocks her head, "Are you looking at my breasts?"

"Could you be pregnant?" Maura blurts out.

"What? No! I am definitely not."

"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean, am I sure? Of course I'm sure."

"When was your last period?"

Jane freezes, "I don't know," she admits.

"So you could be?"

"No, I'm not. I'm sure that I'm not."

"Really?"

"Maura, I assure you, I'm not."

"Light headedness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, fatigue, should I continue?"

"No, because I am not."

"You're sure?"

"Maura, come on."

But Maura's words stick in her head. On her way home, she stops by the drug store. She tucks the kids into their beds, and then locks herself in her bathroom. She pees on the stick, and turns the shower on. She climbs inside, and washes away the days troubles, or attempts to. She stares at the drain, as she washes her hair, knowing that there are some things that just can't be washed down the drain. She climbs out, and grabs a towel. She dries her hair, and ignores the box sitting on the counter. She puts on some pajamas.

She closes the lid on the toilet, and takes a seat. She grabs the box. She dumps the contents out. She stares at the plastic stick, in silence. She can't seem to look away. It's like a train wreck. Her life, was becoming a train wreck. She wants to look away, but she can't.

The knock on the door jolts her back into reality. She hopes if she ignores it, it might go away. But, life, is never that simple. There is a second knock, followed by a familiar voice.

"Hello?"

"Do you need something?"

A tiny voice replies, "Jane?"

Jane tosses the contents of the box into the trashcan under the sink. She wipes the tears from her own face, and unlocks the door. She steps outside, and looks at the little girl standing before her.

"What's wrong?" Jane wonders.

"I had a bad dream," Abbie admits.

Jane scoops her up, and carries her over to her bed. She places her in the middle of the bed, and then finds a spot next to her. She peels back the covers, and allows Abbie to climb under them.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I dreamt that I woke up, and there was someone in my room. I screamed, but you didn't come."

"I would always come," Jane reminds her, "You are safe with me. You know that, right?"

"Yes," she nods.

"And that I love you so much, that I would never let anything happen to you."

"I know."

"You've been in the closet a lot lately."

"Can we go visit them?"

"You didn't want to go to the funeral."

"I never got to say goodbye," Abbie whines, on the verge of tears.

"We can go see them," Jane promises her.

"Do you want me to go back to my bed?"

"You can sleep in here with me, just this once."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You seem sad."

"I'm not sad, just sleepy," Jane lies, as she flips off the lamp, and sets the alarm.

She rolls over, to face Abbie.

"I love you," Abbie tells her.

"I love you more," Jane argues.

"Can I ask you something?" Abbie wonders, laying her head on Jane's arm.

"Sure."

"Is Detective Frost mad at you?"

"No, why?"

"Are you mad at him?"

"No."

"He hasn't been by lately. He told me he would take me for ice cream, but he never did."

"He's busy sweetie, he probably just forgot."

"I like him."

"I know."

"He's nice."

"I know."

"You should be nicer to him."

"You should go to sleep."

"Ok. One more thing..."

"Abbie!"

"Just a little thing."

"Ok," Jane sighs.

"I want to be Abigail Rizzoli."

"You do?"

"Yes," she nods.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"What made you decide that?"

"Because you're my mom."

"Ok, now go to sleep."

"'Kay. Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Jane finishes.


	34. Sick Day

She drops Abbie off at school. She drops the baby off at daycare. Instead of heading to work, she returns home, in her pajamas. She starts cleaning, compulsively. She starts with the kitchen, then the bathroom. A couple of loads of laundry. Kids toys put away. Beds made. She breaks the vacuum out. She couldn't explain it, but for as long as she could remember vacuuming could always soothe her. She dusts, and then returns to her trusty sweeper.

Maura says nothing of Jane's absence at the crime scene, guessing that she's just running late. When she gets back to HQ, she starts her autopsy. She expects Jane to join her. Instead, Korsak joins her. She furrows her brow, as he walks into the room.

"What do we have?" he questions.

She meets his question with a question, "Where is Jane?"

"She called off sick."

"Oh? Is she ok?"

"I don't know. I didn't talk to her."

"Oh. I hope she's alright."

"Kids share a lot of germs. Maybe one of them has a cold, or the flu, or something, and she stayed home with them."

After Korsak leaves autopsy Maura grabs her phone. She dials Jane, but gets no answer. After she finishes her autopsy, she slips out.

Jane is in the middle of vacuuming, she barely hears someone knocking at the door. She turns off the vacuum, and stands, frozen. She stares at the door. There is another knock.

"Are you going to let me in, or not? I know that you're in there."

Jane takes a step to the door. She unlocks it, and pulls it open. Maura steps in. She takes a look at the vacuum, and then at Jane.

"You're still in pajamas."

"I don't feel good."

"Where is the baby?"

"At daycare."

"Why are you vacuuming?"

"I have two kids, it is rare that I get the chance to clean."

"You're not sick are you?"

"I am."

"Jane, what is going on with you?"

"Nothing," she lies, looking at the vacuum cleaner.

"That is a lie."

"What makes you think that?"

"The obsessive vacuuming."

"I am not obsessive."

"Yes you are," Maura argues.

Jane takes a seat on the couch. Maura joins her.

"Spill."

"I hate this."

"Vacuuming?"

"I feel trapped. I feel terrible, for feeling that way."

"Trapped, what are you talking about?"

"I never thought that this was going to be so hard. Maura, I don't think that I can do it. I go to work, and all I can think about is when I am going to get home. Then when I'm at home, all I can think about is when I get to go to work. I just..."

"Slow down."

"Maura, I am not cut out for this. I am not mother material. I am not selfless, or nurturing, or any of that bullshit. Everything is so hard for me. I hate having the same routine, every single day. I want to be good at this, but I'm not. Abbie is on the verge of a break down, every second of every day. She is so needy, and... August should I worry that he squirms, when I touch him? I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I feel like I'm cheating them of something. I am all they have, and I'm not very good at this. They should have a family. They should have more than what I can give them."

"You're feeling overwhelmed?"

"In every sense. Emotionally, physically, mentally, financially. I just feel like I'm drowning. I thought that this was supposed to be the happiest time of my life, but... most days I'm barely hanging on. Kids are supposed to bring you joy, but mine just make me worry. This is too much."

"You can't give them back. They're yours. It's not like a new car that you can trade in, when you get sick of it. They are yours forever."

"And I don't think that I am doing a good enough job."

"Jane you are doing an amazing job."

"Abbie is so anxious. She's been in the closet a lot lately. I don't know what to do for her. And, August, I try to bond with him, but it's like the connection just isn't quite there. I miss when my biggest worry was whether to have cornflakes, or coco puffs for breakfast."

"First of all, when was that ever your biggest worry? You're a homicide detective. Secondly, it's going to be ok. You know that it's ok to ask for help."

"No, it's not. I already have so much help. I'm worthless right now. Look at me. It's almost noon, I am still in pajamas. I called in sick from work, because I'm feeling sorry for myself. I dropped one kid at school, and sent her lunch money, because I was too tired to pack her lunch. And, even though I'm home, I sent the baby to daycare. I feel like a worthless human being, and a piece of shit mom."

"First of all, it's barely nine o'clock. Second of all, needing a break does not make you worthless. This is overwhelming. It's a lot, for anyone. It would be a lot for two people. You are so brave to do this on your own."

"But I don't want to be brave," she argues.

"Jane, what's going on with you? I've never seen you like this?"

"This morning, I woke up, and looked in the mirror, and all I could see was my mother staring back at me. I had a panic attack. I love my mother to death, but I don't want to be her. She gave up to much of herself, for my brothers and I. She gave us so much, that she had none left for herself. I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be exhausted all the time. I don't want to be a stay at home, anything. I don't want to quit my job. But, working makes me feel like I'm not spending enough time at home. I can't quit my job, because I have two kids I have to take care of. And, when I'm at work, I feel like I'm not doing enough, because I am thinking about being at home."

"I know."

"I hate this. All of it. I never asked for this. I never wanted this. I was happy, being single, and childless."

"And you're miserable now?"

"You should just ignore me, I'm just feeling sorry for myself."

"Why are you in such a funk?"

"Don't ask."

"Jane, anything I can do, to help you, just let me know. You do not have to do this alone."

"Maura, I'm scared that nothing I do is going to be good enough. I don't want to be my mother, but beyond that, I could _never_ be her. I could never be half as good as she is."

"It's going to be ok."


	35. Uh Oh

"No, it's not."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I feel trapped."

"You need to talk to someone."

"I am talking to you."

"A professional. It is very common for new moms to go through this."

"You don't know the half of it."

"That's because you don't let me in."

"Hold that thought," Jane tells her. She leaves the room for a moment. She returns with something. She hands it to Maura. Maura takes it from her, and studies it.

"Here, I'm letting you in. I'm about to lose my mind."

"It could be wrong," Maura points out.

"I took twelve of them," Jane responds, "They are all positive."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm doing it. I'm freaking out."

"It's going to be ok."

"No, it's not. Maura I have a six year old, and a six week old. I can't have a baby. I am having a hard enough time, as it is. I can't do this. I don't want to do this."

"So don't."

"Because that is an option."

"It is, if you want it to be. Jane, you don't have to do this. No one will know."

"You'll know."

"I am not going to tell anyone."

"I'll know."

"Do you want this baby?"

"No."

"You shouldn't have a child that you don't want."

"I already have two."

"You don't mean that."

Jane takes a deep breath, "No. You're right, I don't. It's just..."

"They takes a lot more love than they give?"

"What am I going to do?"

"Make a decision."

"I don't want a baby."

"That's ok."

"It would be a bastard, anyway."

"Jane!"

"I'm sorry, I just..."

"You're overwhelmed, I get it."

"No, you don't."

"Three kids, under seven. That is a nightmare."

"It could be worse."

"How?"

"It could be seven under seven."

"I can't have a baby, right now. I already have one, and I have no clue what I'm doing."

"You're doing fine."

"I'm winging it. He just happens to be easy to please. Keep him clean, dry, and fed, and he's happy."

"He's a boy."

"I can't do this. I am... not cut out for this."

"Take a deep breath."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"If you don't want a baby, then don't have one."

"I can't do that."

"Because you're catholic?"

"Because I'm afraid to."

"I'll go with you."

"I... oh..." Jane cups her head in her hands.

"You're scared?"

"How does this happen? Why did this happen to me?"

"I don't know," she shrugs.

"You can't tell anyone."

"Jane, I won't."

"He's my partner."

"Who?"

"Frost."

"Oh," Maura connects all the dots.

"I don't need this right now. This is the worst possible time, under the worst possible circumstances."

"What can I do for you?"

She rubs her temples, "Will you keep the baby, for the night?"

"Sure," she agrees, "What about Abbie?"

"I think that I need to spend some time with her, alone. I..."

"Why don't I let you have some time alone, to vacuum, or whatever it is, that you do?"

"Ok," Jane nods.

Jane eventually showers, and gets dressed for the day. She picks Abbie up from school, and hour early. Abbie climbs into the car, with a concerned expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, why?"

"You're picking me up, instead of grandma, and it's early."

"I know. I called in sick to work today."

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I just needed to spend some time with you."

"Oh."

Jane takes her home. Abbie retreats to her room. Jane follows her. She finds her lying on the bed, doing homework. Jane takes a seat next to her, on the bed.

"I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Whatever you want to talk about."

"Where is August?"

"At daycare."

"Oh."

"How was school?"

"Good," Abbie pulls a picture out, "I made a picture today."

Jane looks at it, "It's very good."

"It's our family."

"I see that."

"It's lopsided," Abbie comments.

"What do you mean?"

"One big person, and two little people. We need another big person."

"What about grandma?"

"No, like a dad."

"Abs, not all families have a mom and a dad."

"Or another mom," Abbie comments.

"That's not what I meant. Sometimes there is just one parent."


	36. Fairytale Magic

"Flip it over," Abbie insists.

Jane flips it over. She stares at another picture. She furrows her brow.

Abbie narrates, "That is what our family should look like," Abbie tells her.

"There are some extra people here," Jane points out.

"You, and me, and August."

"And three other people? That is a lot of people."

"A dad, and two more kids."

"I don't think we need all of that."

"We definitely need a dad."

"We don't need anymore kids. Do we? I think that two is plenty."

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"We need two more."

"I don't think so. I might be able to be persuaded about the dad, but..."

Abbie places her hand on Jane's heart, "You have two from here, already."

"And, that is enough."

Abbie shakes her head, "No," she places her hand on Jane's stomach, "You need two from there."

"Two? I don't think so. I don't need any from there."

"Too late."

"Too late? What are you talking about?"

"I had a dream."

"You did? Was it a good dream?"

"Yes, very good."

"And what happened in this dream?"

"We were at the park."

"That is good."

"It was you, and me, and August, and a dad, and two babies. Twin babies. And we were all very happy."

Jane takes a look at the picture. She studies the figure that is the dad.

Abbie points, "You already know who that is."

"I do?"

"Yes. You've already met him."

"Who is it?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"Because I don't know."

"You have to, the wedding is soon."

"Wedding? Who said anything about a wedding?"

"You have to get married."

"Why?"

"Before the babies come."

"What babies?"

"They're just sprouts."

"Sprouts? Abbie did you bump your head?"

"No. I want this."

"Abbie you can't have everything you want."

"I want this, and so do you."

"I..."

"You just don't know it yet. And, neither does he."

"How do I make this fairytale happen?"

"It's already happening."

"Abbie you have a very vivid imagination."

"Abel, and Aurora."

"Who are they?"

"The twins."

"Abbie..."

"Just listen," she warns.

"I am."

"We're going to live happily ever after."

"In this fairy tale do I quit my job?"

"No. Grandma does."

"You would enjoy that, wouldn't you?"

"Of course."

"Abbie, I don't want you to get your hopes set on this."

"You should tell him."

"Tell who?"

"Him," Abbie points to the picture.

"About what? Your plan?"

She shakes her head, "No, about them," Abbie points to the babies in the picture.

"Abbie, you are being ridiculous. There are no babies."

"Yes," she argues, "There are. I know you're scared, but it will be ok."

"Maybe I should have left you at school, because you're talking crazy."

"You're scared you won't love them. You don't know if you're ready for another baby."

Jane says nothing.

"Everything is going to work out."

"It's a good thing that I love you."

"Can I go stay with grandma, tonight?"

"Why do you call her grandma?"

"Because she's my grandma."

"You call me Jane. I'm you're Jane?"

"I never had a grandma. I had a mom, once."

"Ok."

"So, can I go stay with her, tonight? It is Friday."

"You will have to call and ask her."

"Ok," Abbie smiles.

Jane drops the kids off to her mom. She says her goodbyes, and gets in the car to head home for the night. She's backing out of Maura's driveway, when her phone rings.

"Rizzoli," she answers.

"Are you ok?"

"Frost I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"You called off sick today."

"I'm fine."

"Abbie called and said that I should talk to you."

"She did, what?"

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Everything is fine."


	37. Tough Case

She lies to her mother, and tells her that she has an eye doctor's appointment. Angela picks the kids up, to take them to school, and daycare, the following Friday. Jane sits in the parking lot, in front of the doctor's office, for nearly ten minutes. Finally she gets out. Before she makes it inside the building, she vomits into the shrubbery.

She tries to block the next forty minutes worth of events out of her mind. Her phone rings as she heads to her car. She shoves pamphlets, and prescriptions under the seat of her car. She turns on the car, and races towards her destination.

She finds her co-workers at a nice brownstone, in a nice neighborhood, at the end of a quiet street. Her boots make a clicking sound as she trots down the walkway, towards the entrance of the house. She flashes her badge, and a uniformed officer raises the tape. She ducks under it, and continues towards the house. She notices several people lingering outside the entrance of the house. She furrows her brow in confusion, but heads in without a word.

She walks through the door, and instantly realizes why so many people are standing outside. Only Korsak, and Dr. Isles are in the living room of the house. She tries not to breathe, as she moves towards them. Maura looks up. Without a word, she nudges Korsak. Korsak grabs a bucket, from the pile, near his feet. He offers it to Jane. Jane shakes her head, and waves him off.

She looks at the two bodies, lying on the floor. She swallows hard, this proves to be a mistake. She backs away slowly, at first, and then turns and runs out of the house. She joins Frost in the bushes. She proceeds to throw up in the bushes for several minutes. Having, finished empting his own stomach, Frost kindly holds her hair out of the way. When she comes back up for air, he reaches into his pocket.

"They were supposed to be on vacation, for two weeks. They were scheduled to leave two and a half weeks ago. They never made it to their hotel. The neighbor, was suspicious, called PD." He holds up a bottle of mouthwash, "Want some?"

She nods. She takes the bottle from him. She swishes and spits.

"It was like a hundred degrees in there," Jane adds.

"That's not the worst of it," he tells her.

"What could be worse than that smell?" she questions.

He hands her a tissue, "You may want to blow your nose. It kind of creeps back up on you, if you don't."

She takes the tissue from him. She blows her nose, and stuffs it into the pocket of her blazer.

"What else is there?"

He points to the doorway.

"How many suitcases do you count?" He inquires.

She tilts her head, "Two big, four small."

"Yep."

"So?"

"Kids," he tells her.

"Oh," her heart sinks.

"We found them upstairs, in their beds."

"Four of them?"

"Yeah, but that's the problem."

"What do you mean?"

"They had five kids. An fourteen year old, a twelve year old, an eleven year old, and three month old twins."

"Whose missing? The fourteen year old?"

"No. Everyone is accounted for, but the three month old girl."

"This is going to be a tough case."

"You don't know the half of it," he tells her.

"What do you mean?"

"The three oldest kids, had wounds consistent with the parents. The infant boy, had no apparent trauma."

"So they just left him?"

"Dr. Isles will have to figure that out."

"We're going to have a long weekend, aren't we?" She questions.

"Yeah," he nods.

Hours later, Jane heads down to autopsy. She finds Maura in the middle of an autopsy. She offers a cup of coffee. Maura pauses, and peels her gloves off. She gladly takes the coffee from Jane.

"I hate autopsying kids," Maura begins.

"I know."

"There are four of them," Maura adds.

"I know."

"I was saving him for last," Maura points to the tiny body on the table.

"Something change your mind?"

"I did the preliminaries, and... I kept thinking that I won't be able to focus, if I do the others first."

"It smells..."

"The others are in the coolers. It cuts down on the smell."

"Can we not talk about smells?" Jane questions.

"Sure," Maura nods, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing. Anything, but this case, or my life."

"Is your mom picking the kids up?"

"Yeah. They're going to stay with her, while I'm here."

"You should go home, and get some rest. You have two kids that need to see you."

"I know, but right now, the best place for me to be, is here."

"What do you mean?"

"Maura, I don't know if I can do this."

"That's ok."

"No," Jane shakes her head, "it's not."

"How was your appointment?"

Maura notices the sullen look on Jane's face, "Terrible."

"Why do you say that?"

"He told me things that I didn't want to know."

"The truth, you mean?" Maura tries to clarify.

"Yeah."

"You'll figure it out."

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"It's worse than I thought."

"How can it be worse than you thought?"

"It just is."

"He confirmed?"

"Yes?"

"But you already knew. How can it be worse?"


	38. Change The Subject

Jane changes the subject, "The good news is, that Frost is tracking down a lead, about baby Miley."

"Why are you changing the subject?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Then why did you bring it up?"

"This has just been a really bad day," she admits.

"Jane, you have too much on your plate, to keep this all to yourself."

"Remember, how I told you about all the things that Abbie told me?"

"Yes," she nods.

Jane pulls a folded piece of paper out of a pocket inside her blazer. She hands it to Maura. Maura unfolds it. She turns around, and places it on the table. She studies it closely. She looks at Jane, and then back at the picture.

"Oh."

"What do I do?"

Maura takes look at the picture, and then at Jane's disappointed face. She folds the picture back up. She hands it to Jane.

"We're going to be here, all weekend. Take a break, go kiss your kids," Maura suggests.

"I want to find that little girl."

"I know. But if we're here all weekend, you're really going to miss yours."

Jane nods.

Twenty minutes later Frost makes his way to autopsy. Maura hears him coming, but doesn't stop what she's doing. She continues the task at hand, as he enters the room. He looks at her, and furrows his brow.

"I thought that Jane was down here."

"She was, I sent her home."

"For the night? We need her. Everyone is putting in overtime on this."

"No, just long enough to tell her kids goodnight. I think that this case is really hitting home for her, you know. A missing baby, not much older than her own. It has to be hard for her."

"I didn't even think about that. It's so weird. It's hard to adjust to the fact that she's a mother. I've know her for so long, that sometimes I forget things change. I mean, Jane rarely does..."

"But sometimes life surprises us all," Maura comments.

"Yeah."

"So would you like to hear any of my findings?"

"Of course," he nods, only looking at the body on the table, for a moment.

"I haven't gotten very far, but there are things that I haven't found."

"For example?"

"No unusual fluid in the lungs, or fibers in the nostrils, or throat."

"So you're saying he wasn't drowned, or suffocated?"

"That is what I'm saying."

Jane tiptoes through the door. She sees her mother on the couch, illuminated by the glow of the TV. She quietly makes her way to the couch. She peeks over the side of the couch. She finds Angela snuggled up on one end, and Abbie on the other. August sleeps in Angela's arms. As he sleeps his sucks on a blue pacifier.

"You home for the night?" Angela questions opening her eyes.

"No. I just wanted to see them," Jane tells her.

Angela holds the baby out. Jane takes him, from her mother's arms. She holds him close. She smells his forehead. The scent of a freshly bathed baby. He's warm, and sleepy. She kisses his forehead. He opens his eyes for a moment, but quickly closes them. She returns him to her mother. She moves around to the other side of the couch. She bends down, and kisses Abbie's cheeks.

"You should get back to work," Angela tells her.

"Thanks, for watching them, Ma."

"No thanks necessary. I get to spoil them, and squeeze them, and then send them home with you. It's perfect."

"I am glad that you enjoy it."

"We're fine, drive safe," her mother shoos her.

Jane nods, and heads for the door. She gets into the car, and turns up the radio, in an attempt to drown out her own thoughts.

When she returns to PD, she finds food on her desk. Frost looks up at her, as she enters the room.

"We ordered food. I thought you might be hungry."

"Thanks," she forces a weak smile. She sits down at the desk. She catches a whiff of the sub, and attempts to subdue the urge to vomit. She takes the sub, and gets up from her desk.

"Where are you going?" Frankie asks.

"I'm going to see if Maura wants half," she lies, as she leaves the room.

She makes a beeline for the bathroom, and pitches the sub in the toilet. When she finishes she finds her way to Maura's office. She's there for ten minutes, before Maura joins her. Maura opens the door, and finds Jane sitting in her chair.

She doesn't say a word. She simply takes a seat on the other side of the desk. Jane rests her head on the desk.

"Tired?"

"Exhausted," Jane admits.

"Hungry?"

"Not even a little bit. They ordered out. I got mine, and threw up."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Jane un-holsters her weapon, and offers it to Maura.

"Shoot me?"

Maura rolls her eyes, and pushes Jane's hand away.

"You have to tell Frost," Maura tells her, while Jane re-holsters her gun.

"I don't even want to think about that, yet."

"You have to, eventually."

"Eventually, but not right now. I have to wait until this case is over."

"I agree."

"How do I even bring it up?"

Maura shrugs, "Don't do it in front of the kids."

"No? Really? My child absorbs anything. I don't say anything that I don't want repeated, in front of her."

"If you want..." Maura begins.

"Not tonight. I want to wait, a little while."

"How long, is a little while?"


	39. Avoidance

A few weeks pass, and it becomes increasingly more difficult for Jane to hide her predicament. She tosses clothes out of her closet, finally she pulls on a pair of pants that actually fit. She finds a blazer that covers up her midsection. She's pulling her hair into a ponytail, when someone begins knocking on the door. She lifts August out of his basinet.

She leaves her bedroom, and finds Abbie sitting on the couch waiting. She opens the door with the baby in her arms. Maura smiles widely, at the group. She steps inside. Abbie grabs her backpack. Jane fastens August into his car-seat. Jane hands Maura the diaper bag. Maura picks up the car seat.

"Love you," she kisses the bright-eyed baby. He smiles at her.

"Bye, love you. Have a good day at school," she kisses Abbie.

"Love you, too. See you later."

"Do you have your lunch?"

"Yep."

"Okay, see you later."

Maura leaves, with the two kids. Jane grabs her belongings, and heads out the door, not far behind them. Maura takes off down the street in one direction, to take Abbie to breakfast, before school. Jane heads the other.

Hours later, Jane finds herself, in the basement, waiting on Maura. Maura breezes in, with a manila file in her hand.

"Do you have results yet?"

"DNA does not match your suspect."

"Wonderful."

"How was your appointment?"

"I am sick of appointments."

"Jane, you have to go. You are considered..."

Jane cuts her off, "Don't say it. If I hear that word, one more time, I will choke someone."

"Sorry. How is the morning sickness?"

"Worse than ever. And, nothing in my closet fits," she tugs at her jacket, "and why is it so hot in here?"

"It's not, it's just you."

"Well, it sucks. I hate getting bad news."

"Bad news? What bad news? Is there something wrong with..."

"No. We can talk about it later."

"You know, you can't hide this forever. As a matter of fact, you probably won't be able to hide it all that much longer."

"I know that. But, for right now, it's my secret, and I don't want to share it."

"When are you going to tell your mother?"

"Not soon."

"How much longer?"

"Two more weeks," she responds.

"Until you tell your mother?"

"Until I tell Frost."

"You are going to wait two more weeks? Jane you've already waited so long."

"I just want to make sure that everything is ok, before I tell him."

Maura furrows her brow, "So you're waiting until you're twelve weeks along?"

"I will say it, even though I'm sick of hearing it, high risk," she reminds her.

"You could still tell him. He deserves to know."

"I am not ready to tell. I just want to pretend that this isn't happening, for the time being."

"But it is."

"I know," she sighs.

"Have you made your decision?"

"I don't know if I can do this..."

"But?"

"I am probably going to lose my mind."

"Probably," Maura confirms.

"But I am going to do it, anyway."

"What changed your mind?"

"Nothing."

"But, what made you come to that conclusion."

"I don't know what I'm doing, and most days I feel as if I'm not doing enough. I feel spread pretty thin, and will probably feel even more so, but..." she pauses.

"But, what?"

"I look at those two little faces, everyday, and I can't imagine not having them in my life. I don't know if I have the room in my heart, or my house, or the money in my bank account, but I feel like I have to do this."

"As if, you're obligated to?"

Jane shakes her head, "I feel like I want to prove to myself that I can do this, even if it drives me crazy."

"And what about work?"

"I'm not going to quit my job. My job keeps me sane, and keeps them safe."

"What if something happens to you, that takes them away from them?"

"I don't like to think about that."

"What happens to them, then? Haven't they been through enough, already?"

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Yes," Maura nods.

Jane, and Barry are sitting in the squad room, by themselves. Everyone else is out tracking down leads, or at lunch. Barry looks up from his desk. He cocks his head, and looks at his partner. He furrows his brow, as he looks at her. She feels eyes on her. She looks over at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," he looks away.

"No, why were you staring at me?"

"You look different today," he admits.

"Different how? I don't have any mysterious stains on my clothes?"

"Not bad, just different."

"Frost, answer the question."

"Did you do something different?"

"What are you talking about?" she raises an eyebrow.

"At the gym, or..."

She cuts him off, "Barry, I have two kids. I barely have time to take a shower in peace. I haven't been at the gym. The only work out I get is chasing after Abbie, or picking up toys."

"Never mind."

"Just spit it out," she insists.

"Did you have some work done?"

"Work done?" she raises an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"I should just get back to work. I don't want you to punch me."

"Why would I punch you?"

"Because it is inappropriate for me to be looking there," he points to his own chest.

Jane looks down. Her cheeks turn red, in embarrassment. "You think that I got implants?"

"I don't know," he shrugs.

"I didn't."

"So..."

"If you must know, most of my clothes are dirty. It was the only clean bra I could find. I don't wear it, because it's padded," she lies.

"Oh," he shuts up.


	40. A Moment Of Quiet, Before The Storm

She feels someone crawling into bed with her. She opens her eyes, and sees a little girl in the bed next to her.

"Why are you in here?" she whispers.

"Can I sleep in here?"

Jane looks at the clock. 3 AM, it tells her.

Jane yawns, "I think you should go back to your bed."

"But..."

"Not tonight."

"I want to stay in here, with you."

"Abbie..."

"I heard a scary noise."

Jane flips on the light, "Ok," she sits up in bed, "Stay there," she instructs Abbie, as she grabs her gun, and slowly leaves the room. She tiptoes down the hallway, quietly. She listens closely. At first she hears nothing. She inches towards Abbies room, and she hears it. It sounds like something, or someone banging. She goes into Abbie's room. She checks under the bed, and in the closet, but there is nothing. She goes back into the hallway. She hears the noise again.

She stops, at August's door. She pushes it open, and flips on the light. She makes her way over to his crib. She finds him, lying in his crib, wide awake. He lies close to the edge of the crib. He bangs his toy rattle against the rail of the crib.

She looks at him, "What are you doing?" she asks. He instantly stops. She lifts him out of the crib. She puts him on her shoulder, and begins to pat him. She kisses the back of his head, as he rest it on her shoulder. She pats him, until he falls asleep. She quickly changes his diaper, and puts him back in his crib. She returns to her room. She tucks the gun back into her drawer, after unloading it, and looks at Abbie, who sits in the middle of the bed.

"Go back to bed."

"What was it?"

"Your brother."

"Oh. Can't I just stay in here, for a little while?"

"Abbie I have to work in the morning. I need you to go to bed, I'm exhausted."

"You need help."

"You're preaching to the choir, Abs."

"Night," Abbie steals Jane's pillow, as she heads for the door.

"Whoa? Where are you going with my pillow?"

"It smells like you. It will help me sleep."

"Do you want me to tuck you back in?"

"No. I'll be ok."

"Night, Abbie. Love you."

"Night," she yawns, as she flips off the light.

When she wakes up, she sees the sunlight streaming in through her window. She jumps up, in a panic. She goes into the baby's room, and finds it empty. She runs into Abbie's room, and finds another empty bed. She returns to the kitchen, and finds a note on the refrigerator.

_Jane, _

_Kidnapped your kids. I used my key. I took them to breakfast, so you could sleep in. Sorry if I set you into a panic attack. _

_Frost._

She makes herself a bowl of cereal, and begins to read the newspaper. She sits on a stool, behind the counter. She's reading the paper, when the door opens. Frost walks in. He carries a diaper bag on his shoulder, a baby, in a carseat, with the other hand. He holds Abbie's hand with the arm connected to the diaper bag. Jane smiles at them.

"Did you guys have a good time?"

"Can I watch cartoons?" Abbie wonders.

"Yep," Jane nods.

Frost takes August out of his car seat. He hands him to Jane, who has now finished her bowl of cereal, and half of the newspaper.

"You dressed them, and got them out the door, on your own?"

"Abbie dressed herself. I changed chunk-o's diaper, and threw on the first thing I found. The boy can eat."

"You didn't have to do this."

"I thought that you might need a little break."

"That was nice of you."

"I sense a, but."

"But, my mom is coming to pick them up in a while. She's taking them to get their pictures taken."

"Oh."

"It's ok. You should stay."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Jane nods, "Abbie, go change your clothes," she turns to the little girl on the couch.

"Why?"

"For your pictures."

"But, I'm watching cartoons."

"They are hanging on the door handle of your closet."

"Ok," Abbie stomps out of the room.

Jane leaves the kitchen, and changes August into a tiny suit. She comes back into the room. Frost takes one look at the baby, and they both start to laugh.

"What is that?"

"A three piece suit my mother bought him."

"Why?"

"You didn't hear? He is the youngest player to ever be drafted to the NFL, he has to look nice for the picture," she responds.

"He looks like a turkey, with hair, in a suit."

"It's not my fault he's so chunky."

"Stop feeding him so much."

"He's just a big baby."

Within ten minutes Angela arrives, and takes the kids. She leaves Jane, and Barry alone, to talk. Frost leans against the counter, eyeing the sports section, of the paper.

"You can read that."

"Are you done with it?"

"I want to talk to you, first."

"I don't like where this is going."

"All I said is that I want to talk," Jane points out.

"I know. You never want to talk. What's going on?"


	41. I Don't Want You

"I don't really know where to start."

"Even worse. What's going on?" He questions.

"We should talk about what happened."

"In Ohio? That was... it was stupid. I crossed a line," He defends himself.

"We are kind of beyond that, at this point," she admits.

"What do you mean?"

"We both acted stupidly. It was a bad choice, but we can't change it."

"Why do you want to talk about this? This seems like a kind of awkward conversation. You are my partner," he reminds her.

"And that's it?"

"We are getting into some really awkward territory, now."

"It's about to get even more awkward."

"What do you mean? I thought that you didn't want to talk about it. After all, it happened three months ago. You're my partner, and nothing can come from it."

"I don't really _want_ to talk about it."

"Then why are you bringing it up?"

"I..."

He cuts her off, "Clearly, it meant nothing to you."

"Frost, I didn't want to talk about it, because I thought that it would be awkward."

"This, is awkward. This whatever it is, that's going on between us. I don't know what my place is, because you refuse to talk to me, about anything."

"I'm sorry. I should have come to you sooner. I just have a lot on my plate."

"I understand that, but I'm your partner I am supposed to have your back. How am I supposed to have your back, when I don't know what's going on with you?"

"I'm sorry, I should have made this a priority."

Frost leans against the counter, as Jane paces, back, and forth, chewing on her finger nails, trying to get up enough courage, to tell him the truth.

"Jane, I don't know what you want me to say," he admits.

"I know, but we _have_ to talk about it."

"And, why is that? It's obvious that you don't want to talk about it. We can leave everything unsaid, just like we always do. I can agonize over what you're thinking, and you can pretend that you don't feel anything, just like always."

"No, we can't."

"Why not? That's what we always do."

"Because," she takes a deep breath, but doesn't finish.

"Because, what?"

"Hold that thought," she tells him, as she turns to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

She runs out of the room. He waits for her to return. Finally, after several moments, she comes back into the kitchen. She smells of toothpaste, and scope. Her unruly hair is pulled into a ponytail.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"Did you just get sick?"

"I'm fine," she tells him.

"You just threw up, didn't you?"

"It's not a big deal," she argues.

"You're sick? You never throw up."

"I've been throwing up, for months, now."

"What do you mean?" he furrows his brow.

"It is supposed to be confined to early in the morning, but it lasts all day, every single day, for the most part. The only break I get is for a couple of hours, at night, when I'm sleeping."

"What are you saying?"

"There is very little that makes me sick," she reminds him.

"I know, so what's going on?"

"I'm pregnant," she reveals.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I am pregnant," she repeats, avoiding eye contact. She stops next to the kitchen table, more than an arm's length away from him.

"Since when?" He swallows hard.

"A while," she exhales.

"Why?"

"Why? I don't know why. I certainly didn't do it intentionally."

"I meant, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to freak out."

"Why would I freak out, about you having a baby?"

"You're really asking me that?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Yes," he nods.

"Frost for a detective, sometimes you can be sort of oblivious."

"Since when have you been pregnant?"

"Since we had sex, in Ohio."

His mouths drops open. He just stares at her, in utter shock.

"What?" he swallows hard.

"I'm about twelve weeks along," she admits.

"You can't be," he argues.

"I wish that I weren't, but I am."

"Jane..." he looks at her, and smile, "Ok, the joke's over. It's not funny. You really got me, but it's not funny."

"Would like to see the pictures?"

"Pictures, what pictures?"

She produces an envelope full of pictures, from her bedroom. She hands them to him. He refuses to open it. He just stares at her, petrified. She pulls some of them out. He stares at them, in silence.

"Frost, I'm sorry. This never should have happened. We crossed a line, and now..."

"It can't be uncrossed," He reminds her.

"I'm sorry that this happened. I am sorry that I dragged you into this mess. I never intended for this to happen. My life is such a mess right now, and this was the last thing that I needed."

"Don't be sorry."

"How can I not? You're my partner, I should have known better. I ruined everything. I understand, if you don't want to be my partner, anymore."

"Why wouldn't I want to be your partner?"

"Because things are weird, now. I'm pregnant, and it's yours. And..."

"I don't want anyone else to be my partner."

"Barry, I want to be clear. You don't have to be a part of this. I don't expect you to want this. I am not asking you to. This wasn't your fault."

He raises an eyebrow, "It wasn't yours, either. It's not as if you planned for this to happen."

"No. I certainly did not. It was a mistake."

He shakes his head, "It wasn't a mistake."

She furrows her brow, in confusion.


	42. Broken

"Yes, it was," Jane argues.

"It wasn't a mistake," he tells her.

"What are you saying? If this is where you confess your unrequited love for me, I'm probably going to barf. I am not looking for that. I am not looking for a relationship. I just wanted you to know, because you deserve that."

"Jane, I crossed a line."

"You weren't the only one," she points out.

"You're my partner, and it was wrong."

"Yeah," she nods, in agreement.

"But, now I can't stop thinking about it," he admits.

"Frost!"

"I wish that I could. Every time I see you, I just think about that night."

"That's why you've been avoiding me?" she questions.

"I didn't want to complicate things. You're my partner, and I have the utmost respect for you."

"The sex complicated things, Frost. It always does."

"But, I just keep wondering..."

She cuts him off, "I don't want to know."

"Jane..."

"No," she shakes her head, "I don't want to go there. I don't want you to say anything else. I can't handle anything else. I don't want anything else. I don't feel like that, about you."

He looks up, he captures her eye contact for a brief moment, but she quickly looks away. He shakes his head,"Fine, then I should go."

"You don't have to be like that."

"Clearly, you don't want to talk about it."

"No, not really."

"You should want to talk about it."

"Why?"

"Because we're having a child together."

"I didn't want this. I didn't want a baby. I don't want you," she begins to cry.

"I'm sorry. I am sorry that I'm the bad guy. I apologize for thrusting the burden on you. It was awful of me, to get you pregnant, unintentionally, and then try to do the right thing."

"I don't want you to try to do the right thing."

"Why? Because if there is going to a villain here, you don't want it to be you?"

"That's harsh."

"That's the truth. You don't want me to say, that I think about that night. I think about you, despite my best attempts not to, because you're my partner, and up until three months ago, I never looked at you like that. I never considered that there was, or could be anything between us, other than being partners. Now I wonder, everyday. Everyday I ask myself I wish it hadn't happened. Not, because I think that it was a mistake, but because it makes me wonder. I wonder if there is something more. Was it an accident, or was it fate? I don't know."

"Barry..."

"I'm not going to say it, because you don't want to hear it."

"I'm sorry, I just... I'm not in a place in my life, where I am ready for any relationship, with anyone."

"Jane, you're going to have to learn."

"Learn what?"

"How to let someone love you. You can't push everyone away, all of the time. You have two kids who need you to love them, and let them love you."

"I do."

"If you shut off, or shut down, every time, you start to feel any emotion at all, you won't be able to do this."

"What are you saying? Are you telling me that I'm a shit mom?" her voice rises, in anger.

"Not everyone in your life is going to disappoint you. Not everyone is going is going to hurt them, or you. If you keep pushing everyone away, you're just going to end up hurting yourself."

"I am sorry," the tears move down her cheeks.

"Don't be sorry, just be better."

"So..."

"I can't make you want this. Clearly, you don't even want to be pregnant."

"I..."

"I'm going to go, now. If you need me, let me know."

"Ok," she nods, as he heads for the door.

He slams the door behind him. She grabs a plate off the counter, by the sink, and throws it against the wall, in anger. She reaches for a second one, when there is a knock on the door. She opens the door, and finds her mother, on the other side. Jane wipes the tears from her face, on the backs of her hands.

"Where are the kids?"

"Maura took them to the park."

"Oh."

"What's going on in here? On my way up the stairs I heard yelling, and then I saw Frost in the hallway. It sounded like breaking glass."

"I threw a plate."

"Why?"

"I was angry."

"Jane you can't do things like that. You have a small child who is too young too know not to put glass in his mouth."

"Ma, I don't need a lecture, right now. I can't handle it."

"You feel overwhelmed, that's ok."

Angela moves towards the kitchen.

"Where is the broom? I'll clean this up," Angela offers.

"Why are you here? Without the kids? Didn't you want to go to the park with them?"

"I am worried about you."

"I'm fine," Jane lies.

"You shouldn't lie."

"I'll go get the broom," Jane tells her. Jane goes to the closet, in the hall, to grab the broom in dust pain. She gets a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, when she suddenly realizes that there are ultrasound pictures strewn about, all over her kitchen counter. She makes a beeline for the kitchen, but it's too late. Angela looks up.

"Something you want to tell me?" Angela confronts her.

Jane leans the broom up, against the wall. She sighs, in defeat, as her mother stares at the pictures, lying on the counter.

"No. I don't want to tell you."

"You're pregnant?"

Jane simply nods, new tears falling from her eyes, down her already tear-stained face. Angela puts the picture down. She walks over to Jane, and gives her a bear hug.

"It's ok," Angela promises her.

"No it's not," Jane argues, pushing her away, "I am already completely overwhelmed. I can't do this. I don't want to do this."


	43. Not Enough

"I know that it's hard, but you can do this."

"No, I can't," Jane argues.

"Three kids, will drive you insane, but you'll get used to it."

"I'm not you."

"I never said that you were."

"If I were, I could do this, but I'm not. I am a single female detective, I cannot do this. I cannot handle anymore stress, or mouths to feed."

"Jane... it will all work out."

"I am already completely overwhelmed."

"I'll help you."

"It's not enough. Ma, I really don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Ok. What can I do to help?"

"You could start by winning the lottery."

"And finding you a husband," Angela adds.

"I do not need a husband."

"Jane, I don't want to argue about this, with you. You need a partner."

"I have a partner," she argues.

"A life partner, not a work partner."

"I don't want one."

"And, by the way, who is the father, exactly?"

"Ma, can you just once be happy, without asking a million questions?"

"No. Who is he?"

"Does it matter."

"Jane, why can't you ever do things the way that they're supposed to be done?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Get married, and..."

"Not keep having children out of wedlock, with no partner around, because it's really hard to explain to all the ladies at church, why your grown daughter isn't married. Especially, not that I'm pregnant. I can only imagine the looks you got when you explained that... wait, what did you tell the women at church?"

"Does it matter?"

"I want to know."

"I chose the simplest explanation."

"Flowers in the attic," Jane responds.

"That you adopted them."

"But I didn't. They are mine."

"You kind of did. You had to go through a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo, and paperwork, to get them."

"They are biologically mine."

"But, they don't have to know that," Angela responds.

"Why? Because it's too hard to explain, why I have a six year old daughter, who looks just like me, but just came into my life a few months ago?"

"Jane, come on."

"I am allowed to act like this, I am hormonal, what is your excuse?"

"Jane, sit down," Angela begs.

Jane takes a seat, at the kitchen table. Her mother takes a seat, next to her. Angela takes a deep breath. She pushes stray hairs out of Jane's face. She squeezes her daughter's hand.

"Jane, I am just being your mother. I am worried about you. This is a lot. You have so much on your plate right now. You are just getting used to all of these changes..."

Jane cuts her off, "And I go, and get myself knocked up."

"That's not what I was going to say," Angela tells her.

"But it's what I did."

"It wasn't intentional, was it?"

Jane scrunches her face, and furrows her brow, in disgust, "No. Of course it wasn't intentional. I am already raising two kids, on a detective's salary. My schedule sucks, I get almost no sleep, and I barely have time to shower. Why, would I want to add fuel to the fire?"

"Babies are blessings."

"I am not so sure."

"Jane, it is normal, to feel overwhelmed, and scared. It's normal, to be so exhausted, that you're not sure if you can do it again, the next day. I know how it feels, when you have two kids, and you feel like you're stretched to your limit."

"Oh, ma! No, that makes the third one Tommy."

"No it doesn't. That isn't what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

"When I got pregnant with Tommy, I was so scared, that I couldn't do it again. I already had you and Frankie, and I just couldn't imagine having anymore love to go around. I didn't know how I was going to do it."

"Then you had Tommy, and you thought to yourself, 'I bet I could drop him at the fire station, and no one would mind.' Right?"

"No. Being a mother is the hardest job that you'll ever have."

"Why doesn't anyone ever tell you?"

"Because somewhere, along the way, you forget."

"How?"

"Because you have moments, when you haven't showered in two days, and all you want to do is wash your hair. You're so tired, that you've fallen asleep on the couch. There is a baby in your arms, and a toddler on top of you, and another little one curled up by your feet. They're all freshly bathed, and sound a sleep. You take a whiff, and look at their faces, and you're in heaven. You forget about everything else. You block out the screaming, and the crying."

"Why?"

"Because, babies grow up, too fast. They're only little for so long."

"How did you do it?"

"Most days, I felt like I was going to lose my mind."

"I remember the time you locked dad out of the house, with the three of us," Jane recalls.

"I just needed ten minutes to myself."

"And he took us for ice cream."

"And you bounced off the walls for the next three hours."

"I don't know if I can do this. I have to work, and I'm no you."

"You'll figure it out. What about the father?"

"What about him?" Jane raises an eyebrow.

"Is he going to be involved?"

"I don't know," Jane shrugs.

"Have you told him?"

"Yes," she nods.

"How did he take it?"

"Not well."

"Are you going to tell me who it is, or do I have to guess?"

Jane stares at her, in silence.


	44. Give It Up

"You don't date. So that narrows it down, quite a bit," Angela points out.

"Maybe."

"It's Frost," Angela replies, matter-of-factly.

"And, what makes you come to that conclusion?"

"The only men you spend time with, are cops. And, Barry went to Ohio with you."

"So?"

"You have a baby, and a six year old, what other time would you find, to create another child?"

"Immaculate conception," Jane suggests.

"You don't have to confirm, I already know that it's him. I saw him leaving, on my way in."

"What am I going to do?"

"Take it one day at a time."

"He hates me."

"No, he doesn't. He's just overwhelmed."

"And, it's ok for him to be overwhelmed and storm out of here, but..."

Angela gesticulates, "I know, it's a double standard."

"Why do I have to be a rock? I'm not..."

"Jane just have some faith, in yourself."

"I can't do this," Jane argues.

"From the instant you saw Abbie, the two of you had a connection. Being a mother, to a daughter, is the hardest thing that you can ever do. Boys are easy to please. Keep them fed, and they're happy. It takes a lot of energy, to raise a daughter, and one day, you will understand it."

"Understand what?"

"The whole time, that you were trying to get her to be like you, she was trying to make you see, that she just wants to be herself. She will show you that she has the strength, and determination, to be herself."

"I don't want her to be like me, I just want for her to be..."

"Normal?"

"Ma, I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Ok," Angela nods.

Within a few seconds there is a knock on the door. Angela pulls the door open, with a wide smile. Maura steps in, with a baby in her arms, and a kid at her heels. Angela takes August from Maura. Abbie runs to Jane, she hugs her tightly.

"Why are you sad?" Abbie inquires.

Jane wipes the tears from her face, "I was just missing you..." Jane lies.

"I love you," Abbie tells her.

"I love you more."

"Will you be ok if I go for ice cream, with grandma?"

"Yeah," Jane nods, "You should go."

"You can come."

"No, it's ok. I need to finish cleaning up."

"I'll stay, it's ok."

"No, I want you to go, have fun."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Jane nods.

Angela lays the baby down for a nap. She then leaves the building, with Abbie. Maura stands in Jane's living room, in silence. Jane looks at her.

"I know, it's a disaster, around here," Jane comments.

"Are you ok?" Maura questions.

"I'm fine," she lies.

"You have a lot on your plate," Maura counters.

Jane begins to cry. She feels the tears streaking down her face, against her will. She wants to scream, but she doesn't. She is overcome with frustration, and... before she can finish her train of thought, she is interrupted. The baby starts crying, in the other room. Maura moves towards the hallway, without a word. Jane shakes her head.

"I'll get him."

"I don't mind," Maura argues.

"I'm ok."

Jane steps into the baby's room. She lifts the sweet little boy out of his crib. She pats his back, as she makes her way to the rocking chair. She takes a seat, and stops patting. He quiets down. She moves him into her arms. His cubby fingers reach for her hair. She swiftly pushes it out of the way.

He looks at her face. He smiles, a big, gummy grin. She holds him close. Just breathing, quietly. He doesn't squirm, or try to get away. He is content, lying in her arms.

Maura stands in the doorway, of the nursery, just watching her, in silence.

"You know, sometimes, I envy you," Maura admits.

"Why? I am overwhelmed all of the time."

"You have this insta-family..."

"I didn't ask for this. It's not easy. Maura, I am scared out of my mind. How am I going to do this? I can't even keep it together, with the two of them. From my conversation, with Frost, I don't think that he is going to be involved."

"That is his loss."

"Maura, I can't do this, on my own."

"I'll help you. And, you have your mother."

"It's not enough. I just don't know how to make this work."

"You know that I am willing to help you, in any way that I can."

"Pinch me, and tell me that all of this has been a dream."

Maura looks at Jane. August sits on her lap, slobbering on his toy.

"You're really telling me, that you would give that up?"

Jane looks at the chubby, future linebacker, sitting on her lap. He holds his toy out, as if he's offering it to her. She smiles at him. He smiles, and squeals at her, with joy. She laughs.

"Really?" she questions him.

He squeals again, with bright eyes, and dark curls. He laughs, wearing the face of a model, and the body of a linebacker. His long lashes blink. His chubby cheeks reveal his dimples, as he laughs. His chubby legs bounce, as she holds him up.

She briefly looks at Maura, to answer. She shakes her head, in disbelief, of the life that she's leading. She swallows hard.

"No," she reveals.

Maura smiles, "I didn't think so."


	45. Late Night Call

She climbs into a small bed, with a freshly bathed child. Sleep hasn't overcome her yet, and her hair is still wet. Jane scoots under the covers. The small, warm, freshly, bathed child, rolls over, to face her.

"Why are you in my bed?"

"I wanted to see if there is a reason that you're always in my bed."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought maybe your bed was too hard."

"No, it's just right."

"Then why do you always want to sleep with me?"

"I just want to be close to you."

"Abbie, I am never going to let anything happen to you. I promise you. It doesn't matter how far away from me, you are. Ok?"

"Are you going to stay in here, all night?"

"I thought about it, why?"

"You're hogging all of the covers."

"I am not."

"Mommy?"

Jane brushes the hair out of Abbie's eyes, by the light given off, by a princess nightlight, plugged into a nearby outlet. "What?"

"You can stay if you want, but I'm not sharing my pillow."

"I would share my pillow with you."

"You're the mom, you have to."

"Oh, I see."

"Why have you been sad lately?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You were crying."

"Sometimes grown ups cry for other reasons."

"You don't cry."

"Abbie it's hard to explain."

"Try."

"I don't know how to."

"Please," Abbie begs.

"Life isn't a fairytale, it doesn't always work out the way you wanted it to."

"You're phone is ringing," Abbie responds.

Jane rolls out of bed, nearly ending up on the floor. She races back to her room, to answer it. She grabs the cell phone off the bed side stand.

"Rizzoli," she answers, "Ok. I'll be there."

She hangs up. She looks up, and finds a sleepy six year old, standing in the doorway.

"You have to work?"

"Rain check?"

"What's a rain check?"

"I'll sleep with you another night," Jane promises.

"Are we going to stay with gramma?"

Jane quickly grabs her things. She fastens everyone in, and speeds off, across town. She sneaks into Maura's guest house. She finds her mother, sound asleep. She tosses a diaper bag, in the corner of the bedroom. She peels the sleeping six year old, off of her shoulder. She sits the car seat on the floor. She places her in the bed, next to Angela. She unfastens the car seat. Instead of setting up the pack-n-play in the corner of the room, she places the sleeping infant on the other side of her mother.

She tosses a note, on the bedside stand. She pulls her hair into a ponytail, as she leaves the guest house. She rushes back out to her car, and heads to the precinct. When she pulls up, an officer, stops her. She can't even see the precinct. There is police tape, in front of her.

She rolls down her window. She flashes her badge to the officer. She looks at him, in confusion.

"What's going on?"

"You'll have to park here," he tells her.

"What's going on?"

"Less than an hour ago, someone pulled up, and opened fire, on the people standing outside the building. Two bystanders were shot, and killed."

"That's all?"

"Three of us, and damage to several police cruisers."

She turns off the car. She gets out. The young officer lifts the tape for her. She ducks under. She moves towards the building. Frankie sees her, and approaches.

"Who was it?"

"Jane, I don't think that you should be here," he advises.

"Some of our own got shot. Frankie, I need to be here."

"Jane, you don't understand."

"Who wass it? Are they ok?"

"Jane..."

"What, Frankie? Just spit it out."

"You don't belong here. Korsak, and Maura, can handle this part. Every uni, from the tri-state region is going to be here. You should go."

"I got my kids out of bed for this. I'm not going anywhere," she argues, "I'm going to work this case."

"You should go to the hospital," he tells her, "I'll drive you."

"Why? Who was it? Where's Frost?" she wonders, surveying the faces in the crowd.

"They took him to the hospital. He got shot."

"What? Is he ok?"

"He's in critical condition. They took him straight to surgery."

"That's my partner."

"Let me drive you."

"No," she argues, "I'll be fine."

Korsak joins them, "Jane, Frankie will drive you," he interjects.

"I..." she begins.

Korsak cuts her off, "You don't need to have a car accident on your way there. He's your partner. You have two kids at home," he reminds her.

"Ok," she nods, relenting.

Frankie drops her off at the hospital. Jane sends him back to the scene. She waits in the waiting room, for hours. Finally, a nurse comes out, after several hours.

Jane paces the waiting room. She runs her fingers through her hair. She feels her stomach forming into knots, as she waits. The nurse clears her throat. Jane looks up.

"Are you here for detective Frost?" the nurse asks.

"Yeah, how is he?"

"We just took him up to recovery. He has yet to regain consciousness, but the surgery went well. We were able to remove the bullet. You can see him if you'd like. I'll take you to him."

"Ok," she nods.


	46. Wake Up

She walks into the room, and finds Frost hooked up to IV's, and monitors, and tubing. She lowers herself into a chair, next to the bed. She stares at him. He looks fragile. She reaches for his hand. She looks up, hearing the door close. The nurse has left the room. She's alone, with her partner.

"How did this happen? Frost, you have to pull through. You can't leave me. You're my partner."

She looks at him, half expecting him to miraculously wake up. He lies in the bed, silently, unmoving. She swallows hard, clenching her jaw. She tries to fight off tears.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. I am sorry that I didn't tell you the whole truth. I'm just so scared. I never wanted any of this. All I have ever wanted, was to be a cop. And, now... I don't know what I want."

She squeezes his hand, "You have to be ok. I..." she trails off, contemplating her word choice, very carefully, "I'm not saying that I love you. But, I don't know if I would know what to do without you. I need you, in my life. I just need you, ok? I can't do this without you. It's already hard enough."

She scoots closer to the bed. She places her head, against his leg. She stares at his hand. The tears fall, freely, now. Before she knows it, she's cried herself to sleep.

She sleeps through all the commotion, of nurses, and doctors coming in, and out. Hours later, when she finally does awake, she finds fingers in her hair. She stares at the foot of the bed. The fingers move. She wipes the drool, from her face, and sits up, in her chair. She rubs the sleep from her eyes. She blinks, and looks at her partner. Instead of a respirator, he wears a simple nasal cannula. She stares at his face.

"When are you going to wake up?" she asks, impatiently.

"I was waiting on you," he answers.

She smiles, "How long have you been awake?"

He looks at the clock hanging on the wall, "About an hour."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"I don't know," he admits, "It's nine thirty."

"I've been asleep, for hours."

"You should go home."

"Home? I'm not going home."

"Where are the kids?"

"With my mother."

"Then, maybe you should go to work."

"Not yet. Someone has to be with you."

"There is an officer outside the door, I'll be ok."

"But I don't want to go."

"I'm not going anywhere," he tells her.

"I know, they've got you hooked up to too many tubes, for you to go anywhere."

"I'm not leaving you," he clarifies.

"What?"

"Jane, I'm not going to leave you, alone. You should know that, by now. I've got your back, and I always will."

"I know, but..."

"I know, you wouldn't know what to do, without me."

She spends the next twelve hours at the precinct. She gives up, ready to go to bed. She stops by Maura's to pick up the kids. She tiptoes into the guest house. She finds Angela sound asleep. She's at one edge of the bed. August is next to her, and Abbie is in the middle of the bed. Jane looks at them, and slips her shoes off. She sits down on the bed, next to Abbie. She kisses her forehead. She takes deep breath, inhaling the scent of strawberry shampoo from her daughter, and baby shampoo from her little boy. Exhausted, and unwilling to lug to sleeping kids in, and out of the car, she slips under the covers, next to Abbie.

When she wakes up, she finds herself trapped in the bed. Angela, and August are no longer in bed, or even in the room. Abbie sits on Jane, pinning her to the bed. She smiles widely, as Jane opens her eyes.

"And, just what do you think you're doing?"

"Keeping you from going to work," Abbie reveals.

"Abbie I have to go to work."

"Why?"

"Because detective Frost was shot, and I have to find out who did it."

"Is he ok?"

"He will be."

"You have to go to work?"

"Yes."

"But I don't want you to."

"I know."

"You should take a shower, if you're going to go to work," Abbie tells her.

"I usually do shower, before work."

"Your feet stink."

"I am sorry that you had to put up with stinky feet."

"They're so stinky that they woke me up, in the middle of the night."

"I think that you're telling me stories."

Abbie laughs hysterically.

"Maybe just a little one."

She blinks, and she's back at the precinct. She sits in interrogation, with the suspect. He remains silent, and she finds herself incredibly distracted. She can't focus, on the interview, between her thoughts of Frost, and her kids. Korsak clears his throat.

"Jane, I can take it from here, if you want?"

"I'm fine," she lies.

"I've got it, why don't you go see Frost?"

"Ok," she nods, in agreement.

She climbs into her car, slamming the door. She puts the key in the ignition, but before she can turn the engine on, something comes over her. She leans her head, on the steering wheel. She begins crying. She bangs the steering wheel, with her hand.

"Why is this happening? What did I do?" her nostrils flare.

She wipes her tears away, with the palm of her hand. She leans back, trying to regain her composure. She notices the booster seat, in the backseat, from the rearview mirror. The tears trickle down her cheeks, again, against her will, and beyond her control.

"What did I do to deserve all of this? Huh? It's too much. I know that it's supposed to be some kind of blessing, but it's not. I can't protect my own partner. I don't even have his back. How am I supposed to protect my kids? I'm not with them every second of every day. I can't do this."

The knock on her window startles her. She looks up, and finds Maura. She tries to wipe the tears, but she can't wipe them fast enough. Maura opens the door.

"Are you ok?"

"No."

"Are you going to see Frost?"

She simply nods.

"Get out," Maura tells her.

"No."

"I'll drive you," Maura offers.

"Your busy."

"You have two children, I'm not going to let you drive like this."

"You don't have to remind me. I do not need to be reminded every single damn day, that I have two children. I know that," she raises her voice, in anger.


	47. 21 Guns

_It's rainy, and grey. She's cold, as she stands outside, under an umbrella. She stares at the hole in the ground. The dark wooden casket, reminds her, that this is all too real. Her breath hitches, and shivers travel up her spine, as the pastor reads a passage from the bible. She looks down, and finds a small hand, holding hers. A little girl, with her eyes, stares up at her, with a solemn look. The little girl wears a black dress, and her hair is neatly secured in a braid. She turns, and looks to her right. On her hip, she finds a bright eyed little boy, staring back at her, wearing a suit, and tie. She looks at the crowd around her. Most of them, in uniforms, that are neatly pressed, with their caps on, and their shirts tucked in._

_She stands there, in her uniform, with her hair French braided, and her shirt untucked. She stares briefly, at the tiny, black dress shoe that rests on her stomach. Her glance shifts, to her protruding stomach. There was no hiding from the truth now. She sniffles, as the cold air hits her. She feels detached, from her body. She barely registers a single word that anyone around her is saying. _

_The little girl lets go of her hand. She uses it to adjust the infant's position, on her hip. With her hands clasped, she stares at the gold band, on her ring finger. The tears come, against her will, now. She is unable to control her emotions. She takes a deep breath, and her eyes once again move towards the casket. Her left hand, hovers, over her stomach. The thoughts, are too much to bear. _

_She looks around the crowd, again, unable to focus on the service. Her lieutenant stands at the end of the crowd, in full uniform. Next to him, stands her former partner. He is unable to remain stoic. There are other uniformed officers, next to him. Then, stands her brother, with his gold shield. He stares at his shiny shoes, unable to look up, unwilling to show his tear stained face. On her right stands her mother. She stands very closely. She makes eye contact for a moment, and her mother motions for the infant on her hip. _

_She shakes her head, clinging to the little boy. She surveys the other faces in her crowd. Among them, stands her best friend. The best friend who is always immaculately dressed, with not a single hair out of place. Today, even she is shaken, and looks disheveled. She doesn't wear a trace of make-up, as the tears roll down her cheeks. _

_She takes a deep breath, and tries to force the thought from her head, but it's too late. She goes to the face in the crowd, that is notably missing. The one face she wants to see the most. Finally, she finds it. He stares back at her, with a smile, and loving eyes. Her legs feel like jello, as she stares at the picture, of the fallen. She stares at him, her partner. One hand is wrapped tightly, around her son, as the other rests on her pregnant stomach. As her heart sinks, she feels movement, under her hand. _

_She looks up, as she hears the guns fire. Twenty one times, the guns fire. The infant on her hip remains unfazed. She watches, as they fold the flag. One of them steps forward. He hands it to her. _

_Hours later, she stands, silently, in Maura's living room, watching her two children, sleep, silently, on Maura's couch. They are both still in their funeral attire. She feels a hand on her shoulder. She turns around, and finds her mother._

_"You should take that off," her mother suggests._

_She looks down, at the uniform, that she's still wearing. There is a gun on her hip, and her shoes shine brighter than the Empire State Building. She shakes her head. _

_"I can't."_

_"It's late, you need some rest," her mother reminds her, gently._

_"There is no rest for the weary."_

_"I know that this is hard, but..."_

_She cuts her off, "But, what?"_

_"You have to keep going."_

_"I can't do this. I don't want to do this."_

_"And, you shouldn't have to."_

_"He was taken away from me, and I am not ever going to be ok with that."_

_"I know. He was your partner, and your husband. No one is saying that this is going to be easy, but you have to keep going. You have to think about your babies."_

_She reaches for her holster. She removes the gun from her holster, faster than her mother can react. She takes the gun, and spins it around. She grips the barrel, and holds it out. _

_"I don't want to do this, without him."_

_Her mother slides the gun from her hand, and places it on the coffee table. _

_Without another word, she lowers herself to the ground. She rests against the side of the couch. She draws her knees towards her chest. She hugs them to herself, and buries her head. The tears fall, and each breath feels like her last. _


	48. Off The Deep End

She jerks into consciousness. Her hand falls to her stomach. It takes her a moment, to figure out where she is. She looks around the car. Maura looks at her, in great concern.

"Are you ok?" she questions.

"No," Jane shakes her head.

"You fell asleep," Maura tells her.

"We're on our way to see Frost?"

"Yes? What did you think?"

"I just had the worst dream, I've ever had, in my life."

"What happened?"

"He was dead."

"Jane, we're going to see him."

"Maura, I don't think that I can do this, without him."

They turn into the hospital parking lot. A few minutes later, Jane walks into Frost's room. Maura follows her in. Jane pushes the door open, she turns the light on, and finds the room empty. A sense of panic starts to set in. Maura can nearly see Jane's mind jump to conclusions.

"Let's go ask the nurse where he is. Maybe he went down for a test," she suggests, trying to keep Jane calm.

They walk down the hallway to the nurse's station. Jane looks at the nurse.

"Can you tell me where Barry Frost went?"

"He's not with us any longer."

Jane's heart sinks. "What?"

"He was released," the nurse answers.

"To where?" Jane questions.

"Home. He went home. Another detective just came and got him."

"He was on a ventilator less than twenty four hours ago, and they have already released him?" Maura inquires.

"Yes ma'am."

Less than fifteen minutes later, Jane is across town, at Frost's. Maura waits in the car. Jane goes inside, without knocking. Maura can hear the door slam shut, from the car.

Jane steps inside, and finds Barry on the couch. She stares at him, in anger.

"Why didn't you call me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You should have called me. I went to the hospital, and you weren't there. I thought that you died."

"I'm sorry. You should calm down. I think that you're being a little over-emotional."

"Take that back," she warns.

"I..."

"My partner nearly died, I have to kids, and I am pregnant. Don't tell me that I am over-emotional. And, don't tell me to calm down."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I can't do this. I can't keep putting my heart through hell, I won't."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't handle another child..."

"Sit down," he insists, as she she's on the verge of tears.

She takes a seat on the end of the couch, near his foot. She takes a breath.

"I can't do this. With, or with out you, it's just too much."

"Jane, you're just upset."

She shakes her head as the tears trail down her face, "No, I'm not. I am a cop. That is all I have ever wanted. I don't want to give that up."

"No one is asking you to."

"How am I supposed to take care of a whole slew of kids, and still work a million hours a week? I can't. I can't do both."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything."

"Jane I am willing to help you out financially, and I'll share joint custody but..."

"But what?"

"We're never going to be together."

"You don't get it," she vacates her seat. She turns, and heads for the door.

"Where are you going?" he calls after her.

"To work."

"Jane," he hollers.

She walks out the door, in tears. She slams Maura's car door, when she gets in. Maura doesn't say a single word. She turns the car on, and puts it in drive.

"Where do you want to go?" Maura finally speaks, when they reach the end of the street.

"Back."

"To Frost's?"

"In time. I want my life back. I want my simple, easy life back. I don't want any of this. I don't want to be pregnant with..."

"I know."

"I don't want to be anyone's mother," Jane rages.

"Jane, you need to make some time for yourself. Take some time, away from the kids, and work."

"I can't. I don't have any time to spare."

"I can watch them."

"What happens, if Frost dies?"

"Jane, he's not going to die."

Jane argues, "You don't know that."

"Jane, he's not going to leave you."

"I don't want feeling, and emotion, I've got enough of my own. I want scientific jargon, and facts, and..."

"A drink," Maura finishes the sentence.

Jane nods.

"Life never turns out the way that we plan it, but you have to find a way to make the best of it."

"Can you take me to the precinct? I just want to got to work, it's the only thing that keeps me sane."

"Sane?"

"You don't know what it's like."

"I can see that you're overwhelmed."

"Don't psychoanalyze me," Jane warns.

"Maybe you need some professional help."

"To tell me what, that I have too much on my plate?"

"To help you cope with all of the new roles in your life."

"I million dollars, a prince, and barrel of alcohol would not help me, right now."


	49. Angry

She enters the interrogation room, with nostrils flaring, cracking her knuckles. She sits down, next to Vince. They sit across the table from the suspect. She places the yellow legal pad, and an ink pen on the table. She slides it across the table.

"Start writing," she suggests.

"I didn't do anything," She nineteen year old argues.

"You shot a cop, more than one. You shot my partner. I suggest that you start writing," she continues.

"Look, I didn't do it."

"Jack, we have the gun..."

"It is my dad's gun, not mine."

Vince interjects, "Jack, the problem with that is, that your father takes pride in his guns. He cleans them after every use. His fingerprints are not on them. Yours are."

"That doesn't mean anything," Jack argues.

"It puts the gun in your hand," Jane points out.

"So," he shrugs.

"And the slugs that we found, match your gun," Jane's nostrils flare.

"There are thousands of guns out there, like that one," Jack argues.

"We have security footage, of you leaving the precinct, in your car," Jane adds.

"It wasn't me," Jack denies. His arms are folded across his chest.

"We found epithelial cells in the slide of the gun," Jane adds.

Jack swallows hard.

"Let us see your hands," Vince insists.

"I have rights," Jack responds.

"Show us your hands, and we can clear this up, right now," Jane answers.

Jack places his hands on the table, palm down, with his fingers together.

"Let us see the other side," she tells him.

He hesitates, "Why do you want to see my hands? I didn't do anything."

"Jack do you know how much time you have to serve, for murder in the first degree? What about attempted murder of a police officer?" Jane inquires.

"You can't prove anything," he argues.

"You're going to spend the rest of your life in prison."

"I want a lawyer," he clams up.

Jane pushes her chair out, and leaves the room. She slams the door behind her. Fifteen minutes later, Vince finds her sitting at her desk. He pulls his chair, next to her desk.

"Jane, talk to me," he tells her in a soft, but insisting tone.

"That kid, shot my partner."

"We've got him."

"I know, but I'm just tired."

"And, angry," Korsak adds.

"Yeah," she nods.

"I'm listening."

"I don't want to talk about it, here," she responds.

He nods, and checks his watch, "How about lunch?"

"Ok," she nods.

Fifteen minutes later, they both have a burger, and fries. They sit in the squad car, parked on the street. Vince takes a drink, and swallows his bite of food. He wipes his mouth, and looks at his former partner.

"What's going on with you?"

"What's not going on with me?"

"You look like hell. You look pale, and exhausted, all of the time."

"Vince, I just don't know if I can do this. It is all just too much."

"I know that juggling two kids, and this job is tough. If anyone can do it, it's you."

"My partner got shot."

"That wasn't your fault."

"I was at home, with my kids, instead of having is back."

"You can't be with him every minute of everyday. Jane ,there is nothing that you could have done."

"I should have stayed."

"Jane, you have got to realize, your life, is not what it used to be. You're not single, with your job as your only responsibility. You have a son, and a daughter, that you have to think about now. You have to put those two before the badge."

"But I don't know how. I have spent basically my entire life, putting my life in danger, in the name of..."

He cuts her off, "You have to stop."

"I don't know how. I have bills to pay. I have a responsibility to my partner. I feel guilty when I'm home, and I feel guilty when I'm here. Just when I think that I might start to be getting a handle on it, shit hits the fan."

"Frost is ok. He'll be back to work in a few weeks, and everything is going to be ok."

She shakes he head, "You don't understand."

"How could I? You never let me in. I used to be your partner..."

"I don't feel like I am giving my job a hundred percent, and my kids aren't getting it either. I am not cut out to be a mother. I am not my mother. I am no superwoman. I cry all of the time. I want to scream every second of every day."

"It gets better."

"Vince, you don't know the half of it."

"What do you mean?"

"I feel as if I'm on a sinking ship, so to make it better, I shot myself in the foot."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"You have no idea."

"What's going on? It's more than you just feeling like you don't know how to balance things."

"I have no partner."

"He'll be back soon."

"I don't have a life partner. I have to rely on my mother, or Maura to babysit, and, I hate it. I don't want to do this alone."

"So don't."

"My work load is about to double, and I just can't do it, anymore. This ship is going down."

He furrows his brow, "What do you mean your work load is about to double?"

"You don't want to know," she shakes her head, and breaks eye contact. She looks out the windshield.

"Jane, you can tell me anything."

"I don't think that I can."

"Why not?"

"Because I am not ready for you to know."


	50. The Tell

"Why not?"

"Because I am a female cop, who has two children, lives in an apartment. I am not married. My life is already a disaster."

"I know that this shooting really has you shaken up. The thought of losing a partner is difficult."

"You have no clue."

"Yes, I do. Jane, I thought I was going to lose you. For a second, I thought that you might be gone, forever."

She turns, and looks at him, "I'm sorry that I ever put you through that."

"Jane, it comes with the job."

"I'm still sorry. I am sorry that you ever had to see me like that."

"And," he begins, "honestly, in a way, I still feel like I'm going to lose me."

"I didn't get reassigned because..."

He cuts her off, "I know that. That isn't what I'm talking about."

"What do you mean?"

"I feel like I'm losing you. I feel like you're losing yourself. You seem completely overwhelmed."

"That is because I am."

"Once Frost gets back, maybe it will be better."

She exhales, "I am going to ask to be reassigned."

"To another unit?"

"To a different partner," she answers.

"Why? To, who?"

"I think that it would be better if you and I went back to being partners."

"And why is that?"

"I..." she trails off.

"Jane, did something happen between you, and Frost?"

"A lot of things have happened between us."

He scowls.

She continues, "But I guess that a big part of it, is that I'm angry at him."

"For what?"

"After he got shot, I dreamt that he died."

"You're angry, because you don't want to lose him?"

"He's my partner."

"I know. Now are you going to tell me what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something happened," Vince insists.

"What makes you think that?"

"The two of you have been awkward around each other, ever since you came back from Ohio, with the baby."

"What makes you say that?" she raises an eyebrow.

"Because it's true. You slept together, didn't you?"

"The hotel room, only had one bed," she admits.

"That isn't what I meant, and you know it."

She feels as if she can't hold it in, any longer, "I'm pregnant," she blurts out.

His eyes widen. He looks at her, and nods, "Yeah, I know."

"You know? You don't sound surprised."

"I've known for three weeks."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't think that you wanted me to know."

"I don't."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Be miserable," she answers.

"Jane you don't have to be miserable. You can choose to be happy."

"How? I work all the time. I don't get enough time with the kids that I have, and I'm pregnant. I am scared to death. I've never been pregnant before. I didn't even want kids."

"And now you have two."

"Soon, two is going to be..."

He cuts her off, "Three."

She shakes her head, "I wish."

"What do you mean, you wish?"

"It's going to be more than three."

"More than three? You're having twins?"

She shakes her head. "No."

"I don't understand."

"I am not entirely happy to be pregnant, but knowing what I do, I would be ecstatic, if I was just having one baby."

"You're having two?"

"I might even be ok, if it were only two."

"How many is it?"

"Three."

"Three? Are you sure? There is no way that you have three of them in there."

"That's what I said."

"It's no wonder that you're so exhausted."

"I just can't catch a break."

"What are the odds of conceiving triplets, naturally?"

"Higher than the odds of winning the lottery," she answers.

"Whose the father?"

She doesn't answer, she looks away.

"Frost?" he guesses.

She nods.

"Have you told him?"

"He knows," she confirms.

"And?"

"It didn't go very well. I showed him the ultrasound pictures. He stormed off, before he got through all of them."

"Does he know that there is more than one?"

"I don't know. We barely talk."

"You have to talk to him."

"After what happened yesterday, I don't think that he wants to talk to me."

"What happened?"

"He left the hospital."

"I know, I took him home."

"He didn't tell me he was leaving. I went to the hospital. They told me that he was gone. I thought he was dead."

"Oh."

"So, I went to his place, and I chewed him out."


	51. No Fairy Tales Here

She's exhausted, from a long day at work. She's just gotten the kids to sleep, when someone starts banging on her door. With her gun in her hand, she unlocks the door. She doesn't check the peephole. She just pulls it open. She lowers her gun, when she sees who's standing on the other side. He closes the door, as he comes into the apartment.

"What are you doing here? It's late. I swear if you wake the baby, I'll kill you. He's got an earache, and he hasn't been sleeping."

"I just came to talk. You don't have to shoot me," he tells her.

She realizes she's still holding her weapon. She places it on the coffee table, and sinks into the couch. He takes a seat next to her.

"You are psycho, you know that, right?"

"I blame all of the hormones," is her response.

"You barging into my place, the other day, that's not ok."

"I know that."

"But I deserved it."

"I know that, too."

"Jane I am sorry that you are under all of this stress. I am sorry that I added to it."

"But?"

"If you think I know what to do, then you're wrong."

"I just want you to choose. I need to find a game plan. You're either in, or you're out. It's up to you. Just make a choice. Ok?"

"You can't do it on your own."

"I do lots of things on my own."

"Jane, let me help you."

"You don't want to be with me. You don't want this life."

"Stop trying to convince me that I don't."

"You're wounded, and you won't be much help."

"I'm wounded? Jane I'll heal."

"That isn't the point. I know you are going to feel some sense of obligation, to these babies. You don't have any obligation to me, though. I am not delusional. I know this isn't a fairy tale."

"I want to be here, with you. I want to be here for them."

"Frost, I don't expect you to marry me. I don't expect happily ever after."

"Just stop! Woman! You drive me insane. Stop telling me what to do."

"I'm sorry."

"You're in charge at work. You're in charge of a lot of things, but I am in charge of me."

"You're right."

"You need a bigger place."

"I just got this one."

"I have a buddy, and he found this great house that..."

"I can't afford it."

"It's been repossessed, and you can afford it. It is super cheap."

"I don't want a fixer upper."

"I can fix it."

"Because you have so much spare time."

"It just needs some fresh paint. It's perfect."

"Fresh paint? Have you seen it?"

"Yeah," he nods.

"So what? We're just going to move in together, and be one big happy family?"

"We could try."

"Except you don't love me."

"Why do you always want to control everything? You try and tell me what to do, and think, and feel. I do love you."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it's true."

"Since when?"

"Since the day that I met you."

"I don't buy it."

"Please just give this a chance. We are going to have kids, together."

"I'm scared."

He smiles at her. He tucks her hair behind her ear, with his free hand.

"I know," he says softly.

"Aren't you?"

"Out of my mind."

"What are we going to do?"

"Make the best of it. It's ok to be scared."

She swallows hard. Her hormones kick her emotions into overdrive.

"Frost what if I don't make it."

"What?"

"What if I die?"

"Why would you say something like that?"

"I am the definition of a high risk pregnancy. I could die."

"I'm not going to let that happen."

"What if I do?"

"You won't," he argues.

"What if you die? You almost died. I can't do this on my own. I already have two of them, and I am completely overwhelmed, all of the time. I am sleep deprived. If I step on one more dirty sock, crayon, or Barbie doll, I might come unglued."

"That's why I'm here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he nods, enveloping her in a hug. She lies against his chest, in silence, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Hours later, she wakes up, and she's asleep on the couch, in the clothes she wore to work. She hears a crying baby, and finds that she's on the couch alone. She wonders to herself, if Frost has snuck out, or if it was all a dream. She wipes the sleep from the corners of her eyes, and climbs off the couch. She moves towards the crying. Before she can reach it, it miraculously stops.

She continues down the hallway, to check on August. She stops in the doorway, to peer in at him, just to make sure he hasn't stopped breathing. She finds her partner, in the nursery. He sits in the glider, in the corner of the room. He holds the cranky baby, against him. He pats him, and rocks him back to sleep.

She tiptoes into the room. She smiles at them, and then asks, "What are you doing?" in a whisper.

He puts his finger to his mouth, "Shh! I got it. Go get in bed."


	52. Happily Ever After?

She's sitting in the middle of the living room floor, folding laundry, on a rare day off. The new house, is still not completely unpacked. It's rather quiet. Abbie is with Barry, at the grocery store. August sits in a pile of mismatched socks, as she folds. She turns, reaching for the remote, to turn the TV on. It's behind her, on the couch. When she turns around, she finds that August is on all fours. She furrows her brow, and looks at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Da da da."

"Is that your answer for everything?"

"Da da da," he giggles.

"What about ma, ma, ma? Would it kill you to try that one?"

He looks at her, and then turns his attention to Abbie's bright blue wiffle ball, that lays in the corner of the room, abandoned. She flips on the TV. She turns her attention to the mountain of laundry in front of her. She fills the basket, to her right. She looks up, and August has left his spot. She finds him across the room, sitting in the corner, holding the wiffle ball, in his hands. He lifts it to his mouth.

She slowly hoists herself from a sitting position. She stands up, and makes it across the room. She squats down, next to the chubby dark haired boy.

"What are you doing?" she asks, "And how did you get over here? Did you scoot all the way over here?"

He smiles at her, as he drools on the wiffle ball. She lifts him off the floor, with some effort. Her large, round stomach gets in her way. She carries him back to his laundry pile. She sits him in the pile of socks, once again. He is not content, as his ball is still in the corner of the room. He looks at Jane, and then makes his decision. She looks over at him, and finds him crawling away.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He squeals. She gets off the floor, once again, and makes her way across the room. She scoops up the baby, and the ball. Instead of putting him back in his pile of socks, she takes a seat on the couch, with him. He takes the ball from her.

"When did you decide that you're going to crawl?" she questions.

"Da da da," he replies, rhythmically.

"I'm in trouble, huh? What are we going to do, when there are three more babies, just like you?"

He slobbers on the ball, and ignores her. She carries him into the kitchen, and gets a bottle for him. He falls asleep, before he's finished. She carries him into his crib, and sets him inside. She returns to the living room. She takes a seat on the couch. She stares at her round stomach.

"I would really appreciate if the three of you would stop dancing on my bladder."

By the time Barry, and Abbie return, Jane is sound asleep, on the couch. Abbie runs into the house. Barry follows behind her, with bags.

"Shh! Your mom is sleeping," he warns.

"But..."

"Help me put the groceries away, quietly," he insists.

"Can I go outside, instead?"

He looks out the door, to the backyard. He nods. She runs out the door, slamming it behind her. She runs towards the swingset, that is illuminated by the sunshine. The slamming door wakes August. Frost closes the refrigerator door, and runs to his room. He scoops up the screaming baby.

"It's alright buddy," he carries him back into the kitchen.

He sits him on the floor, with a toy truck. He proceeds to put the groceries away. When he's finished he puts the bags away. He walks past the island, where he's left August. He finds the truck, sitting there, abandoned. He looks in the kitchen, and finds no sign of August. He makes his way into the living room.

He finds the baby moving towards the couch. He comes to a halt, when he finds Jane. He starts to squeal. Her eyes pop open.

"What are you doing?"

He reaches for her. She scoops him up. She looks up, and finds Frost.

"Sorry," he apologizes.

She looks at the clock on the wall, "That's ok, I got twenty minutes."

"I got groceries."

"Where is Abbie?"

"She's outside playing."

Before she can respond her phone is ringing. She grabs it out of her pocket. She pulls it to her ear. After a few seconds she hangs up. She looks at Frost.

"We have a crime scene to go to," she tells him.

"Jane, when do you think you're going to stop going to crime scenes?" he questions.

"I am a cop, so probably never."

"You're a cop who is six months pregnant, with three babies."

"I'm fine," she argues.

"Jane..."

"You are not my mother," she adds.

"No, but we should probably call your mother."

"You're so bossy."

"I'm the bossy one? I don't think so," he argues.

"Really?"

"I told you we should get married, and you told me no."

"Barry, I am six months pregnant, I am not getting in a wedding dress."

"In a few months this house is going to be full."

"I am not having this discussion, again."

"Why not?"

"I don't want you to marry me, because you feel obligated."

"That is not why I want to marry you."

"I don't believe you."

"Jane we live together. We're going to have three babies, in three months. We should get married."

"I don't want to get married."

"Now, or ever?"

"I don't know," she shrugs.

"Jane, do you want this, or not?"

"I need to get him ready to go. Can you go get Abbie?"

He shakes his head.

"No. Why can't you talk to me? I understand that this is hard for you. Your entire life has done a one eighty in less than a year. I know you never imagined to have this. I know you didn't picture a house, in the suburbs, with a swing-set in the backyard, with two kids, and three more in the way. No one envisions that, but I am in it for the long haul."

"Can we just go to work?"

"Jane, I'm not going to keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"If you don't want me here, then maybe I shouldn't be," he answers.


End file.
